Nice to meet you, Odile Jacobs
Born and raised in Belgium with parents originating from Congo, Odile had a lot of background from the first years of her life. Her mother started her own fabric business after she divorced Odile’s father. She traded wax fabrics between Brussels and Kinshasa and passed on the microbe to her daughter. However, Odile did not immediately go to work as a designer and started working life as a midwife. In 2016, she was no longer able to suppress the urge to create and started her own label. With her clothing brand, she wants to bring together femininity and the beauty of nature. And for that, there is no better fabric than wax print.
Eco?
In the beginning, Odile worked with fabrics that she found on local markets in Ghana. Due to a lack of transparency about the origin of the cotton or the inks used, Odile switched to the well-known Vlisco fabrics, which are completely safe in terms of chemicals in the final product. This Dutch company uses cotton from Asia and Africa, but spins, weaves and wax prints everything in the Netherlands. Together with Odile, we are looking forward to other real Batik fabrics. Moreover, Odile is actively working on making her fabrics more sustainable.
Fair?
The production originally took place in Ghana at one tailor. Odile provided this person a steady income and also built a safe accommodation near the workplace. However, since the covid pandemic, production has shifted to a location closer to Belgium, namely Poland. Thanks to the labour laws and regulations of the European Union, we can assume that ethical working conditions are maintained here.
Unique clothing for cheerful women, that’s what Odile Jacobs wants to create with her brand. See below where you can buy this brand.
