Tegendraads: original, embroidered designs

Tegendraads designs and makes all embroideries itself at its workshop in the Wasserij in Rotterdam. The brand has four industrial embroidery machines there to create a wide variety of designs.

The clothes Tegendraads uses as the basis for the embroideries are also ethically produced. The brand works with several clothing producers who are members of the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF). FWF is an organisation that monitors working conditions in factories. So you can be sure that your purchase is ethically made!

The clothes on which Tegendraads embroiders their unique designs are largely made of organic cotton. This is a sustainable material because it uses far fewer chemicals and irrigation water than conventional cotton production. On top of that, the clothes have the GOTS certificate (Global Organic Textile Standard). This certificate guarantees that no chemicals were used in the production process. It also checks the social conditions at the manufacturer.

Tegendraads also uses clothing made of conventional cotton and recycled cotton, some garments also contain recycled polyester.

For embroidering their designs, Tegendraads uses different materials. The brand is committed to using sustainable embroidery threads, but this is often difficult to find. Above all, the threads must have the right quality, strength and colour to form a beautiful design. Materials most commonly used in Tegendraads embroidery are viscose and nylon.

Tegendraads mainly uses cotton clothing as the canvas for their designs. The circularity of a garment depends on the materials used to make it. Clothes made of a mono-material such as 100% cotton are easier to recycle than material blends.

Tegendraads embroiders all the designs themselves in their workshop in Rotterdam. Still, the brand’s supply chain is not really short as the clothes were often produced outside of Europe.

No materials of animal origin are used in the Tegenddraads collection. The clothes may be completely vegan, but it is still possible that animal-based glue is used in the reinforcement and the backing of the embroidery.

Tegendraads does not follow seasons to release collections, but designs and produces at its own pace. The label takes inspiration from art, nature and architecture. The collection includes designs of the famous Erasmus Bridge and Euromast in Rotterdam, but also flowers, artwork and geometric patterns. The Tegendraads designs are embroidered in small batches, making your purchase a bit more unique!

The brand also often collaborates with other designers or labels to work out fun collabs. Besides embroidering clothes, Tegenddraads also works on artworks using embroidery techniques. For example, the label collaborated with their Wasserij neighbours Kukka to create an embroidered, small version of the Chromarama wall hangings.

COSH! was able to visit Tegendraads at their studio in Rotterdam, where the label gave us a peek behind the curtain. The label also gave us the names of their suppliers, making them score well on transparency.