Nirali
Mehta
Client: Stretchery 2013 Field: Brand Strategy, design & management/ Marketing strategy & communication design
Building a sustainable activewear brand: STRETCHERY
The first seed of thought to this idea came a few years back in 2013. Being from a country like India, where the majority of the ‘Active’ population does mild workout like walk, yoga, jog etc., we saw that there was a lack of or absence of good quality and comfortable fitness wear for different body types spanning across varied activities. As consumers ourselves, we did not find any option alone a homegrown brand that was offering alternative options. Alternative to synthetic materials.
Over a year’s time with our extensive research of users and potential users, material study & understanding, we set out to redefine and further refine our ideas & goals. As a co founder donning the hat of a researcher and a strategist, with a nonlinear process of research, prototyping and testing we knew that our offering had to be made responsibly to be aligned with our goals. Whatever humans make will always have an impact on the environment, but if there was a way to reduce the impact in some little way, then we wanted to do that.
Our Intent
With a sustainable Indian active wear brand we aimed to positively impact the wearer, maker and the environment. From its inception, our focus had been on things that supported and accelerated the change of perspectives on the way we make, consume & use. We wanted to transform the the general view of wellness in our houses & communities and overall social system. We were convinced that holistic wellness isn't achievable in isolation, it requires working with each other for the collective good of us & the environment.
With in a year of launching Stretchery India, we wanted to expand and cater to newer markets with our offering. So, in 2015, we did a soft launch of Stretchery in USA. By 2016 we build our fully operational website and three offline POS in San Francisco, USA.
We not only had to create a category, but create a system of product and information that made the customers aware and informed to make informed decisions. Giving a choice empowers the customers as not users but changemakers.
Changing perceptions
We realized that we needed to tell our efforts, initiatives and purpose with honesty and humility. We were making garments (one of the most polluting industry) after all. But small leaps were made in small steps. Only with this we could head towards something bigger, especially as a bootstrapped brand. That gave us a strategy- to do whatever we did but do it better.
We were driven and committed to design all STRETCHERY products with circular principles, -that meant, designing all products from the beginning to be repurposed, repaired, reused, resold and recycled, generating as little waste as possible. But going circular requires working beyond our own business – with suppliers, manufacturers, customers, and more – to make it happen. We have been on a journey with that.
The step we took in design was to take responsibility for the entire system in which our product or service was created, encompassing everything from the raw materials to the effects on workers, consumers. We come from a belief, that anyone should always feel good about what they are wearing -from how the garment was made to how it performs. Activewear, is a product typically made from virgin plastic. Thus we decided to work with only Organic, natural & recycled fabrics using the natural qualities of breathable, soft and allergy free to the advantage in fitness wear. Our materials were grown and manufactured in a way using less harmful chemicals/ pesticide/ GMO leading to better health of the farmer’s and their families health along with overall good environmental impact( soil conservation & reduced water pollution).All our products were GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified using dead and non moving stock, recycling some fabrics and upcycling the waste for further use.
As a business, our mission was to work towards changing the way our clothes are sourced, produced and consumed, making it the focal point of all design & marketing functions.
Our constant interactions and user studies lead to the understanding that a large percentage of consumers don’t buy clothing to be responsible. They buy clothes to look good, feel trendy and express themselves. But they buy into the brand eventually, its style and philosophy. So if the brand believes in conscious living and responsible production choices while matching their sartorial choices, they will certainly lean towards it.
With our endeavours of building an eight year old small business, we achieved that influence by bringing reducing our carbon footprint through no plastic policy with packing and carbon offset on our website. Organic trade in India is very rigid with a lot of greenwashing, as a small bootstrapped start-up we brought transparency to our business and provided for safe and good working conditions, equal and fair pay for all those involved in making Stretchery products & services.
How might our buying choices change when we know how it is made?
We wish that the industry of Organic and sustainable fabric manufacturers and bigger players start supporting small businesses, for them to start or continue thriving.
