Rapanui Clothing are an Award-Winning Eco-fashion brand for Men & Women, described by the Guardian as “Bang on Trend”
We talk exclusively with Jamie
So, Rapanui – where did you ever find this name for your company?
We found out about the story of Rapa Nui after Mart learnt about over-population during his degree in renewable energy engineering. The Rapa Nui people live on Easter Island. It’s a closed eco-system, and if they used up their natural resources they had nowhere else to go. The same is true of the human population as a whole on earth. We felt it was a good metaphor for what Rapanui stands for. Plus, it’s a cool name!
What is the ethos behind Rapanui Clothing?
To make ‘eco’ cool – we’ve won awards for our eco-labelling and traceability initiatives that allow people to see exactly where clothing comes from and how it is made, and to shop quickly, with a conscience. The idea is to use the power of fashion (so powerful it can make you do a Mohican and skinny jeans overnight) to do some good – to make people think about going green in their wider lifestyle choices.
Apertube T Shirt by Rapanui Clothing
We hope to get there by designing the best looking, best fitting clothing at the best possible price with the best possible customer care, and with full traceability… That’s Rapanui.
If Bouf were following Rapanui for one day…what would we be doing?
It could be anything from coming up with a new T-shirt design, dealing with our suppliers, chatting to customers on Facebook and Twitter, negotiating a deal with one of our bespoke clients, drinking tea, speaking to journalists, packing up orders, going for a quick surf at lunch or taking a break on our office skateboard ramp.
What is the one thing you would like people to think when they wear Rapanui Clothing?
That by making a conscious choice to wear Rapanui, they’re doing there bit to help make fashion a more ethical and sustainable industry. And also that they look pretty cool!
Swallow Eucalyptus Ladies T Shirt by Rapanui Clothing
What is your favourite Rapanui Product on Bouf?
Probably the classic bamboo leaf t-shirt, it was our first ever design, and still one of our favourites. It reminds us why we got started and it’s also a great metaphor for what Rapanui is all about, sustainable fashion’s new leaf. It’s made from Bamboo which means it’s super comfy to wear, anti-bacterial, and it doesn’t need ironing!
Leaf Classic T Shirt by Rapanui Clothing
What is next for Rapanui?
Our biggest focus for the next year is to grow our retailers, both online (like Bouf!) and in stores and to take our Eco Labelling paper to the EU.
Of course we also want to continue to make cool new clothes and grow the brand, trying to innovate and develop new products for people with an active, action sports lifestyle, with the minimum environmental impact possible. We want to demonstrate that young people can do things that are groundbreaking and make a change towards going green.
To visit the full range of Rapanui’s clothing range, just click here….
