Welcome to Behind The Seams, where we serve a piping hot brew on conscious brands, fashion content creators and all those who are out to make a difference. Today, we sat down with Thirsty Clothing, the sustainable fashion brand created by a trio of Polish students. These eco-warriors include Jakub and Krzysztof, the co-founders, and Janek, the creative director. Thirsty has two collections currently available, each of which tackles either an environmental or social issue. While the company is based in Tilburg, the Netherlands, their designs are manufactured in their homeland of Poland. Talk about being globally conscious!
What is your favourite memory when creating Thirsty?
Krzysztof: So many great memories were made since the beginning of developing Thirsty. If I'd have to choose one, it would probably be the moment when we received all the pre-ordered garments from the Aral Sea collection. Seeing and being able to try on the fruits of our work for the first time is a moment I’ll never forget. Later on, delivering the garments in Tilburg by bike with Jakub was an unforgettable experience also. Seeing our customers smile from cheek to cheek and hearing words of encouragement warmed my heart. Since then, I knew that making people happy while having a positive impact on the world will always be our highest priority.
Jakub: The Aral Sea collection launch. I think I have never experienced more emotions at the same time as during the first pre-order. From being thrilled and excited to being stressed and worried. Seeing the first sale and everything that we have worked on for many months working, was the most rewarding experience that will stay in my mind for a very long time. This is definitely my favourite memory, proving that everything is possible and hard work really pays off.
Janek: For sure the moment when the Greenland pre-order has ended. This collection was a true test for us. As a designer, I wanted to make the best choice of graphics, cuttings patterns and fabrics for our products. All of that was meant massive amount of work, time and stress. That’s why when I saw that people like it a lot, I felt peace and great joy. All the orders and positive feedback was the biggest reward for me and the best moment for Thirsty.
You've created two collections so far; Aral Sea and Greenland. Pick your fighter!
Krzysztof: I really like both but have to go with Greenland. Thanks to diving deep into the problems the indigenous people of Greenland – the inughuits face, we were able to depict their values and raise social awareness quite well. What is more, all of the designs from that collection convey messages behind them that point to oneness with all life, sustainability of our planet and the appreciation of nature - values I deeply identify with.
Jakub: Aral Sea. It’s our first collection and the reference connecting our brand name with the water shortage story perfectly illustrates what is our venture about.
Janek: For sure Greenland! After the Aral Sea collection I knew the potential of our sewing room much better so I could prepare much more complex designs. Personally, I felt more spiritually connected to the topic related to Greenland, and the interview with amazing polish writer-Ilona Wisniewska gave me enormous dose of inspiration which I applied in developing the collection.
Would you rather shoot content in the Netherlands or Poland? Why?
So far we’ve been doing photoshoots in Poland since we have our photographer there, have access to a professional studio and know a lot of cool locations. However, we’d like to explore the Netherlands more and start shooting content here soon as well. This way we could discover the country more and invite new, diverse people who could represent our brand.
How would you describe Thirsty in 3 words?
Krzysztof: Sustainable, meaningful, unique
Jakub: Innovative, sustainable, and intriguing
Janek: For me describing Thirsty in only three world is extremely difficult especially without any explanation but I think that: mission, experience and community give you the essence of Thirsty Clothing for me.
Can we expect accessories in the future?
At the moment we’re focusing on producing garments but we’d like to explore accessories in the future. We see a lot of value in recycling and upcycling practices and can imagine implementing them not only for our clothes but also for accessories. As not many people know, our designer Janek once made a chair out of materials that would otherwise go to waste that served us as an addition to the first studio photoshoot.
How does Thirsty practice sustainability?
We aim to implement sustainability in our personal lives also. For example, we choose to travel by bike or public transport, cars and planes serve us as a last resort. Additionally, we stopped supporting fast fashion brands, hardly ever buy new products and use the ones we own as long as possible. Next to that, we follow either a strictly vegetarian diet or limit meat consumption. Overall, we are conscious citizens in terms of consumption and volunteer in community-based activities such as waste collection events.
When it comes to our brand, there are numerous ways we practice sustainability. Firstly, we are committed to using only organic materials. The ones that use less water in production, don’t require pesticides and are more durable than conventional ones. So far, our garments have been out of organic cotton entirely, however, we are planning to add different materials to our offer shortly. Next to that, all of our garments are made in a sewing room in Poland where safe working conditions and fair wages for the workers are ensured.
Additionally, we aim to make a positive contribution to people in need. We donate 5% of every garment sold to support water-related community-led projects in partnership with Just a Drop, a UK-based NGO. So far, we donated over €300 and contributed to the construction of the rainwater harvesting tank for the Boys' Secondary School in Mwingi, Kenya. Our mission is to raise social and environmental awareness worldwide through our collections. The first one aimed to tell stories about the tragedy of the Aral Sea, and the second, make people aware of the indigenous people of Greenland overlooked by modern society. All our garments have a different story behind them, which makes them unique.
One of our goals is to make sustainable fashion more affordable and appealing to the youth. Moreover, we want to ensure sustainability and transparency along the value chain from A to Z. At the moment, we are working towards achieving those goals. For now, we won’t reveal more details. The only thing you should know is that the results of our work will see the light of day soon. Stay tuned for the third collection. Stay Thirsty.
To keep up with Thirsty Clothing, follow them over on Instagram. To stay tuned for more Behind The Seams features, follow us and subscribe to our mailing list. Interested in being featured or keen to write a blog post? Please email hello@cappuccinozine.com
Until next time,
The Cappuccino Team
