It was a sunny day by the sea, somewhere in Greece, back in summer 2016. Two sisters, living in two different countries, had a mutual dream: they wanted to take their passion for fashion, urbanism, circularity, fairness, and innovation, and create a brand that would embody these pillars. That’s how Vretena was born: a new, innovative, family-owned circular fashion brand aiming to change the way we consume fashion.
About Vretena
Vretena is a Germany-based brand striving for great quality designs that are planned, produced, and consumed with responsibility and circularity in mind. The family behind Vretena combines three main pillars in their brand’s core ethos, which are essential for their vision of the future: the synergy of urbanism, nature, and innovation. For Vretena, “Urban” describes the people of our era, the progress we’ve made, the accessibility to information, and cultural diversity. Their second pillar, “Nature”, matches Vretena’s inspiration, and through Innovation, the brand believes we can bring Urbanism and Nature together in a sustainable, balanced way that is beneficial to all. Since I am pretty much all about these pillars myself, our collaboration came so naturally.
Vretena. Picture by Shadi Mahayni Vretena. Picture by Shadi Mahayni
Designed to circulate
Vretena‘s first capsule collection is intended to circulate: the selection and sourcing of their materials have been made in collaboration with “Circular Fashion“, considering all sustainability and recycling criteria. Vretena uses a mono-material design, to make the recycling process possible.
Technology plays a major role in allowing transformation towards circularity. That’s why Vretena’s entire capsule collection is tagged with the circularity.ID®: this scannable QR code is a unique product identifier that warrants transparency and traceability in the supply chain, making the garments’ life visible for the customer. By simply scanning the QR code, customers will learn about the garment’s “life” story, its production, care instructions, return, reuse, and recycling options. The circularity.ID® enables hands-on innovation, transparency, and sustainability, the key pillars of Vretena’s business model.
Vretena has a take-back policy to ensure that the piece will circulate, as much as possible, through refurbishes or repairs before being delivered to recycling facilities. All materials follow specific feedstock parameters set by recycling partners such that all pieces can be delivered to a recycler at their end of life for high-quality chemical or mechanical recycling.
Fair Production, Innovative Materials & Empowering Initiatives
Following their three pillars, Vretena‘s designs aren’t only ethically made in Bulgaria (in two factories which they visit regularly) but also made from some outstanding materials, to fit with their innovation pillar. Their styles are authentic and made out of pure inspiration, designed to complement each other. Vretena has 3 lines in their collection: the EtaProof line which is fully vegan, the organic cotton line, from which the Skyler shirt is vegan (more about it below), and the Tencel line, which unfortunately isn’t vegan due to the GOTS-certified pearl-derived buttons the brand uses in that line.
The white, casual business top I’m wearing is called Skyler: it is made from 100% GOTS certified organic cotton and fits the requirements for fiber-to-fiber recycling (chemically recyclable). It has such a unique design: I love the buttons on the sleeves, which give the top a victorian vibe, and the oversized design beginning from the middle of the sleeve. I combined it with a cord mini skirt for a casual, elegant feel. It is such an upgrade from my usual white button-down blouse: it is simple yet unique and works well with so many of my skirts, which are my favorite kinds of “bottoms” to wear with it.
The fun, vibrant raincoat I am wearing is an innovation breakthrough I’ve never seen before: it is made of 100% EtaProof, a new, unique, waterproof, and windproof fabric made of 100% GOTS-Certified organic cotton – yes, you heard it! 100% waterproof organic cotton. Isn’t that crazy? This raincoat came to my life just in time: I didn’t even own a raincoat before, as life in Tel Aviv didn’t really require it, but now that I live in super-rainy Hannover, this one comes in handy and brings a beautiful, positive wash of color to my typically neutral autumn looks. One thing to note however is that this raincoat is tight on the shoulders, and I advise you to size 2 sizes up from your normal size if you are interested in it unless you are very petite (I am usually size S and wearing size L).
What I like most about the items I received from Vretena is the luxurious quality and attention to detail. From my experience with the top, it washes well and would pass the test of time, as it was designed to. The stitching on the raincoat shows how well-made it truly is.
Another great thing to know about Vretena is that they use cradle-to-cradle gold-certified elements for zippers (like the stunning blue zipper on my raincoat) and elastics, and all buttons are GOTS certified. The sewing thread used in the entire collection is made of 100% Tencel and is also Cradle to Cradle Gold & Oeko Tex certified. Yep, they thought about all the smallest of details!
Since the team of Vretena cares about social impact, they decided to participate in the #yearofgivingwater campaign hosted by Drip by Drip, providing 12 families with access to clean drinking water for 10+ years. It is such a wonderful initiative and I am happy to see that the brand is doing whatever it can to create a positive impact, even as a young startup that is just taking its first steps.
I am so ready to see more and more slow, circular, conscious brands in the market, and excited to see brands like Vretena taking such a proactive approach and leading by example.
If you would like to read more about Vretena, visit their website and Instagram page.
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Outfit 1 (White blouse + mini skirt): Blouse: Vretena, Skirt: JAN N JUNE (old), bag: Colibri Paris
Outfit 2 (White blouse + midi skirt): Blouse: Vretena, Old skirt, Bag by Minuit Sur Terre
Outfit 3 (Raincoat): Raincoat by Vretena, Jeans and t-shirt by Armedangles (use code “NOAA_15” for 15% off armedangles*)
*This post is part of a collaboration with Vretena. Please note, There are some affiliate links or codes* in this post. All the opinions shared are mine. To read about my work ethics, visit my ethics page.
Until next time,
Noa