Wanne Van Hemelrijck

PRODUCTION LOCATIONS 

• Leuven, Belgium

WORKING CONDITIONS & LIVING WAGES 

All products are made by Wanne Van Hemelrijck herself in her studio in Leuven. Because Wanne manufactures all products herself, there is no risk of outsourced labour conditions or unknown supply chains. Production is exclusively local and artisanal, ensuring fairer working conditions. Their work is strongly characterised by the idea of slow fashion – with a focus on quality rather than quantity.

Wanne does not have an external production studio, but works alone or occasionally with local social organisations:

• The brand cooperates with the Kringloopwinkel in Vites, where it obtains woollen blankets as raw material. During the winter, these blankets are primarily reserved for the homeless, which shows that she respects the social priorities of the partner organisation.
• There is also contact with Buren zonder Grenzen, through which it obtains additional blankets – this creates a link to local social initiatives.

The products are handmade and mostly one-offs or small series. They are created in close contact with the customers, who, for example, bring in their own materials or commission individual customisations.

MATERIALS

• Old woollen blankets (usually second-hand, e.g. from Kringloop)
• Recycled interior fabrics (e.g. curtains, upholstery fabrics)
• Second-hand textiles (incl. fabrics from private collections or leftover stock)
• Customers’ own fabrics (materials brought in for customised products)

Wanne uses existing or leftover haberdashery (e.g. zips, buttons, yarns), if possible also second-hand or from its own stock. Here too, the focus is on recycling and reducing the use of new materials.

Wanne Van Hemelrijck consciously uses only recycled and existing materials, which sets her work apart from many conventional labels. Her choice of materials is characterised by resource conservation, waste avoidance and extending the life of existing textiles.

PACKAGING

• The products are usually made to order or on request. If shipping is necessary, she generally uses existing packaging materials, such as used cardboard boxes or reused envelopes, to avoid additional waste. 
• As it only produces locally and sources its materials directly from the surrounding area – for example via Kringloop shops or through personal donations – there is no need for a traditional supply chain with logistics partners. 

WATER USAGE & CHEMICALS 

Wanne Van Hemelrijck is committed to a more resource-efficient way of working, in which the focus is not on technical optimisation but on consistently avoiding processes that are harmful to the environment. The exclusive use of existing materials – such as old woollen blankets, interior fabrics or other second-hand textiles – eliminates many of the environmentally harmful steps that are common in conventional textile production. No new fibres are produced and no industrial processes such as dyeing, bleaching or printing are used. This also significantly reduces the use of water and chemicals.

As Wanne retains the existing colours and structures of the source materials, no additional treatment with pigments, bleaching agents or solvents is necessary. This minimises the impact on water and soil. The risk of microplastic emissions is low, as it mainly works with natural fibres such as wool or cotton. Synthetic fibres may be contained in recycled fabrics in individual cases, but are not specifically used.

CIRCULAR PRODUCT DESIGN 

Wanne Van Hemelrijck only uses recycled, upcycled and second-hand materials, including old woollen blankets and interior fabrics. These materials come from household clearances, second-hand shops or private donations and often consist of material mixes. As Wanne does not produce the available material itself, it cannot always determine the exact fibre composition. Many fabrics – especially upholstery fabrics or older blankets – contain blends of plant and synthetic fibres, which makes it difficult to recycle at the end of the product’s life. Read our blog to find out how the choice of textiles affects recycling, durability and the environment. 

Nevertheless, she pursues a circular approach by reutilising resources that already exist. Her products are mostly one-offs or small series, individually processed and hand-sewn. Thanks to this processing and her artisanal approach, the products are easy to repair. She also offers customisation and repairs – not only for her own pieces, but also for clothing brought in. In this way, it actively promotes the extension of product life.

There is no take-back service in the traditional sense. However, Wanne supports customers in transforming their own old textiles into new products – for example by customising memorabilia or creatively reworking clothes that are no longer worn. This makes a direct contribution to recycling, even if no systematic take-back is organised.

CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODELS 

Wanne Van Hemelrijck offers its own repair and customisation service, which is an integral part of its business model. Customers can submit worn or damaged garments to her for repair or customisation for a fee. 

There is no collaboration with an external repair workshop, as Wanne carries out all the work herself in her own studio in Leuven. This means that the quality remains in her hands and she can respond flexibly to individual requests. 

There is no formalised take-back service in the traditional sense (for return, resale or recycling). Nevertheless, her work is strongly customer-centred and, on request, she accepts old or meaningful textiles to create customised upcycling pieces. This personal processing replaces a standardised take-back logic with individual circular solutions.

Wanne does not operate other circular business models such as rental or resale. 

Its focus is on repair, customisation and upcycling on demand – a flexible, resource-saving model that is geared towards the actual needs of customers.

DISTANCE & COMPLEXITY OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN 

• Leuven, Belgium
• Wanne Van Hemelrijck has its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium.

̌The brand has an extremely transparent supply chain, as both design and production are carried out entirely in-house – without external suppliers or outsourced manufacturing processes.

TRANSPORTATION 

• Wanne Van Hemelrijck works with a local, minimal supply chain in which materials such as woollen blankets or interior fabrics are sourced from the region around Leuven. Deliveries are usually made personally or by short routes, without international shipping or complex logistics. This means that transport emissions in the supply chain are very low.
• As Wanne mainly sells its products locally or manufactures them on request, online shipping is very limited. When shipping does take place, it is usually via conventional postal services with packaging materials already in use to minimise additional environmental impact. There is no centralised logistics structure – each shipment is handled individually.

• Wool (exclusively in the form of old second-hand woollen blankets)

Wanne Van Hemelrijck only processes second-hand wool from local sources such as the Kringloopwinkel in Vites and the Buren zonder Grenzen initiative. These are existing products whose exact origin – such as the manufacturer or country of origin of the wool – cannot be traced. Although there is no formal code of conduct, it does not use any newly produced animal materials. This approach means that no additional animal resources are required, which significantly reduces the animal ethical footprint.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Wanne Van Hemelrijck offers its products primarily for adults, especially women. The range includes jackets, yoga bags, accessories as well as customisation and adaptations of existing garments. 

Wanne takes a flexible, customer-centred approach: many of her pieces are made to order or customised, which means that special fits are also possible. She caters to personal requests and also makes garments from materials or memorabilia that customers bring with them. This bespoke service provides an inclusive approach to fashion – not through standardised sizing systems, but through personal care and individual fitting.

SLOW FASHION PROCESSES

Wanne Van Hemelrijck does not have a classic collection rhythm. Instead, she works with a fixed, small product line that she gradually expands, for example with limited series such as jackets and yoga bags made from old woollen blankets. Her pieces are often made to order or customised as one-offs.

She does not take part in regular sale periods, as her prices are calculated fairly from the outset and there is no overproduction. She favours longevity, individuality and conscious consumption.

TRANSPARENCY ON PRODUCT

Wanne Van Hemelrijck does not have traditional product pages. Its products are usually created on direct request, via personal communication or social media. Accordingly, information on materials, production and origin is communicated individually instead of being standardised.

The traceability of the products is nevertheless very high, as all of Wanne’s pieces are made personally in the studio in Leuven. Customers know exactly who made their product and often also what type of second-hand material it is made of. 

TRANSPARENCY ON PROCESSES 

Wanne Van Hemelrijck offers detailed insights into her working methods via her website and social channels. She openly explains that she works with local second-hand sources and states that all products are made in-house in her studio in Leuven.

The information on materials, origin and working methods is not itemised by product, as there are no typical product pages. Instead, communication is personalised and project-related, especially in the case of custom-made products.