Now, we know travelling to distant lands in fuel-guzzling planes isn’t the best thing we can do for our planet, but what travellers do when in those countries is rather environmentally-friendly.
We car share, we camp, cram into buses, cycle and walk. We eat local food, move slowly and, to be fair, are excellent at holding onto clothing that is long past it’s best. Making clothing last is what iquique is all about and why we have built our brand around the slogan 'wear it slow'. Not only does this mean caring more for our clothing (washing at 30, drip drying etc) but also about developing a better understanding of the fabrics themselves.
That is why everything we make is made from organic or recycled materials, so they will last longer and when they do eventually hit the end of their lifecycle, they can be further recycled or decompose without chemicals.
Consumers in the UK wear an item of clothing between 7-10 times before it is discarded. We’ve built a culture where being seen in the same item of clothing more than twice is sacrilege and we should be ashamed. One of the many benefits of travelling, whether it be a weekend trip or a year long lap of the globe, is that it gives us perspective on what’s important.
We often realise how little one truly needs to survive, whether that be money, food or our threads. As travellers, we have a duty to protect the planet as we have built our life around exploring it. I mean look at how beautiful it is...
Located in the north of Chile, the city of Iquique is home to a pivotal duty-free port, the port where 60,000 tonnes of second-hand clothing arrive each year. Chile is one of the world’s largest importers of second-hand clothes; clothing that is made in China and Bangladesh before passing through Europe, North America and Asia.
High-quality garments are sold into Latin American markets, some are smuggled and some are stolen for personal use. However, around 70% of what comes into Iquique is illegally discarded into the Atacama Desert. Municipal landfills will not take the clothing as it is not biodegradable due to the abundance of chemicals and dyes within them. They are therefore not treated and left to pollute the ecosystem which not only is an eyesore but affects environmental and human health in the region.
All of this understanding is at the core of our brand and why we promise to only use organic or recycled materials and water-based ink. Our mailers are recycled and our clothing bags are compostable, as are the stickers we produce.
Our big project is the work we are doing with Chilean upcycling organisation Ecocitex, headed up by the ever-inspiring Rosario. We've been lucky enough to speak with her and we are planning on buying up yarn, made from the pieces of discarded textiles in the desert, to make tote bags, bucket hats and toiletry bags. These will be colourful and in some cases, each item will be unique due to the nature of upcycling. Being involved in a circular based fashion economy is somewhere we want Iquique to be.
Footwear and apparel contribute 8.1% towards global greenhouse gas emissions, which equates to the total climate impact of the European Union. Wearing an item of clothing twice as much as we currently do can half the total greenhouse emissions of the fashion industry! Buying more ethically crafted clothing will mean they last twice as long too.
We understand that becoming a sustainable brand is a process full of incremental positive change. We understand our purpose within this and will keep evolving to stay slow and do our bit to protect this fragile planet.
