Building A Clothing Brand With The Earth At Its Core

We did not set out to create a clothing brand. In fact it wasn't on the list of things to create at all. Much like our life, the things we are supposed to be doing find us, one way or another, despite looking in the opposite direction.

So it seems almost ironic that a clothing brand is now what grips our focus. A mirror in some form of the way life has unfolded. In order to do this though, we must stay true to our beliefs, values and standards we hold. The fashion and textile industry is one of the biggest pollutants to earth. The figure currently hovers over 92 million tonnes of waste every single year, and with 70% containing synthetic fibres, it's 200 years before it breaks it all down. There is a conflict on this figure as newly released data suggests its nearer to 121 million tonnes.

By our calculation, between 1950 and 2050 enough textile waste has been produced to fill the landmass of Estonia in a 1 meter thick blanket of clothing. That's the landmass of Sweden if we lay it flat. A entire country can be represented by waste. That's not inclusive of what we keep in our wardrobes.

Buying secondhand clothing has been a part of our lives since childhood. We believe in the cycle of clothing, buying with intent, wearing with intent and swapping with intent. There is something exciting about shopping in charity shops, thrift stores, vintage boutiques and online market places where you don't know what you are going to find. Knowing that you are not adding to the waste figure but saving it. Loving something that has been loved before, and paying that love forward.

Do not get us started on the slavery, and appauling conditions in which modern fashion is currently produced. There is a dark side to throw away fashion, one that Unpaused does not condone, does not align with and wishes to see the end of.

So we find ourselves in a dillema as to how we can build a clothing brand to carry our message, while staying true to our values. Enter the upcycling, reimagining and whimsical artistic approach to our brand. We are now actively taking steps to source T-shirts and clothing destined for the landfil and giving it a second life by turning each piece into a unique, one of a kind piece of art.

We want to collaborate with artists and create a community behind the brand that allows us to showcase our true human expression. It's too easy to say we don't know where the future will take us, but we know it's human led. We know it's a return to our trueselves, but how long it'll take for us to get there, is up to us.

Leaning into our creativity is our biggest asset. No machine, model, or infrastructure can keep us away from our creative spirit. We simply close our eyes and access it. It is in our thoughts, our actions and our wishes. Creativity is the root of our purpose. To create whatever we feel drawn to, in whatever form it wishes to take. There was once a time we believed we were not creative. Practical and logical, never creative. It wasn't until we widened our understanding of what being creative means, did we realise every human on earth is a creative soul. You are creating the world around you whether you know it or not.

We want to celebrate this. We also want to celebrate and cherish the Earth. Free her from the pollutants, toxins and destruction being forced upon her. Free her from the suffering and restore the balance. She provides us with everything we need and it is time we show her gratitude. At Unpaused we want to swim in rivers clear of toxins and pollutants. We want to eat food packed with nutrients and taste, free of chemicals. We want to watch nature thrive in its natural habitat, not adapting to the greed of man.

It is a small move but with so many brands making the same small moves, it soon starts adding to be one huge movement. A force to be reckoned with. Brands like ours need customers like you. Customers that will not settle for convenience. Customers that will not follow blindly. Customers that do not sacrifice the earth for their own satisfaction. Customers that care about things that are bigger than themselves. Customers like you.

We are so grateful you are here and sharing our mission to bring change into the world, one small action at a time.

An artistic design for an Unpaused Tshirt. A statement worth wearing, a canvas worth keeping. Reimagining the UNPAUSED T-shirt as a one-off piece of wearable art.