By Kenny Smith for Scottish Field
Ethical shopping is high on many a wish list, but it can be tricky knowing where to start.
Innerleithen-based, award-winning activewear clothing brand FINDRA puts sustainability at the heart of what it does all year round, resulting in gift ideas at this time of year for outdoor lovers that are as kind to the planet as they are to you.
FINDRA founder and CEO Alex Feechan is committed to a sustainable approach throughout every product’s life cycle.
She said: ‘Sustainable fashion considers all stages of the product life cycle – clothing production (design, raw material production, manufacturing, transport, storage, marketing, final sale) as well as its afterlife (use, reuse, repair, remake, recycling, up cycling).
‘At FINDRA, we design and create a core range of products that are not seasonal nor are they ‘fast fashion’. We don’t create collections that have short life cycles or products that go out of fashion, which encourages a disposable throwaway approach to clothes and simply adds to landfill,’ she adds.
‘Instead, we concentrate on creating stylish designs made from natural or recycled raw materials. Products that are designed to last and outlive any fashion trends. Our aim is to design clothing that looks good, is long lasting, functions well and is useful all year round – wear items on their own through the warmer months and layer up our merino wool clothing during the colder months.
‘Every item has been designed to work together and all of the pieces are lightweight and comfortable, so they will never feel too bulky.’
FINDRA uses ethically sourced merino wool, which is renewable and biodegradable, to create an extensive range of activewear. Merino breathes and absorbs moisture better than any other fibre, it is soft and gentle next to the skin, helps to regulate temperature and is odour-resistant, which makes it ideal for activewear clothing.
FINDRA’s Seamless Performance technology range produces high-quality garments without seams, which means no rubbing or irritation and is a process that generates around 30% less waste compared with traditional methods.
Womenswear covers everything from tops to socks, while a capsule menswear collection, launched in May 2018 and recently updated with new colours, was created in a direct response to customer demand. A range of merino wool accessories ticks all of the stocking filler boxes.
Alex continued: ‘When I founded FINDRA in 2014, there were three key elements I wanted to weave into the brand: good design, which should be functional and look good, consideration to the planet and a strong desire to encourage more people to get outdoors and reap the benefits of being in nature.
‘FINDRA will be five years old this December and I’m delighted that over the years we have had great feedback from a wide range of customers proving that FINDRA products are achieving those aims.’
