Hirschkind

Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s com­mit­ment to ethi­cal and sus­ta­ina­ble pro­duc­ti­on is exem­pli­fi­ed in its pro­duct ran­ge, from T‑shirts to bed­ding and kit­c­hen texti­les. This dedi­ca­ti­on is rooted in a deep under­stan­ding of fair tra­de and orga­nic prac­ti­ces, posi­ti­vely impac­ting both the people invol­ved and the planet.

At the heart of Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s ethi­cal ethos is its dedi­ca­ti­on to sour­cing orga­nic cot­ton from coope­ra­ti­ves in Tan­za­nia and India. The brand pro­du­ces its ethi­cal clot­hing in Kenya and India with coope­ra­ti­ves that ensu­re fair pri­ces for the cot­ton growers, weavers, spin­ners and sewis­ts, sig­ni­fi­can­tly impac­ting the­ir live­li­ho­ods. Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s Fair­tra­de-cer­ti­fi­ed cot­ton from India and Tan­za­nia guaran­te­es mini­mum pri­ces and an addi­ti­onal pre­mi­um for com­mu­nity pro­jec­ts, ensu­ring a sus­ta­ina­ble and equ­ita­ble sup­ply chain.

Ethical Production of T‑Shirts

The­ir T‑shirts from India are a beacon of ethi­cal manu­fac­tu­ring. Made from Indi­an Fair­tra­de-cer­ti­fi­ed orga­nic cot­ton, they embody a rare pro­duc­ti­on pro­cess in the texti­le indus­try. The fac­tory, boas­ting FAIR­TRA­DE, GOTS, and SA8000 cer­ti­fi­ca­ti­ons, adhe­res to the hig­hest stan­dar­ds. Envi­ron­men­tal­ly fri­end­ly dyes and GOTS-appro­ved che­mi­cals are used exclu­si­vely, ensu­ring mini­mal envi­ron­men­tal and wor­ker impact. This fac­tory is not just a pla­ce of pro­duc­ti­on but a heal­t­hy and posi­ti­ve wor­king envi­ron­ment whe­re employe­es earn living wages, secu­ring a good stan­dard of living for the­ir families.

Over in Kenya, Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s T‑shirts, long sle­eves, skirts, baby bodi­es, and masks are pro­du­ced in the small but sig­ni­fi­cant Kibo­ko Leisu­re Wear fac­tory. Foun­ded 20 years ago by Sabi­ne Hues­ter, a Ger­man nati­onal, this fac­tory ope­ra­tes on prin­ci­ples of fair wages and bene­fits, inclu­ding heal­th insu­ran­ce and paid leave, cre­ating a family-like atmosp­he­re with mini­mal staff tur­no­ver. This appro­ach to fair employment prac­ti­ces is rare in the texti­le indus­try and repre­sents Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s com­mit­ment to uplif­ting local communities.

World Fair Trade Certification

Kibo­ko Leisu­re Wear’s affi­li­ati­on with the Wor­ld Fair Tra­de Orga­ni­za­ti­on (WFTO) is a tes­ta­ment to its adhe­ren­ce to the hig­hest fair tra­de stan­dar­ds. As a cli­ent of Kibo­ko, Hir­s­c­h­kind pro­ud­ly hol­ds a WFTO First-Buyer cer­ti­fi­ca­te, fur­t­her soli­difying its role in pro­mo­ting ethi­cal tra­de practices.

Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s manu­fac­tu­ring pro­cess, mana­ged by Sun­flag in Tan­za­nia, adhe­res to strict orga­nic cer­ti­fi­ca­ti­on and ethi­cal stan­dar­ds. From spin­ning and weaving to dye­ing, every step is con­duc­ted res­pon­si­bly, ensu­ring no har­m­ful sub­s­tan­ces are used. This tran­s­pa­rent sup­ply cha­in reflec­ts Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s com­mit­ment to pro­du­cing high-quality gar­ments and main­ta­ining an ethi­cal and sus­ta­ina­ble busi­ness model.

Commitment to Ethical Trade

A firm beli­ef in deepe­ning its fair and ethi­cal tra­de rela­ti­on­ship with Afri­ca dri­ves Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s deci­si­on to shift its enti­re T‑shirt pro­duc­ti­on to Kenya. This move exem­pli­fi­es Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s dedi­ca­ti­on to cre­ating a more tran­s­pa­rent and equ­ita­ble fashi­on indus­try whe­re every sta­ke­hol­der, from far­mer to con­su­mer, is tre­ated with res­pect and dignity.

By pri­ori­ti­sing fair tra­de, com­mu­nity empower­ment, and sus­ta­ina­ble prac­ti­ces, Hir­s­c­h­kind is an exem­plary catalyst for posi­ti­ve chan­ge in the glo­bal fashi­on industry.

The brand’s dish towels are now made from fair tra­de, orga­nic cot­ton and han­dwo­ven by Indi­an weaver coope­ra­ti­ves. The­se coope­ra­ti­ves, part of the Co-optex network in Tamil Nadu, are vital in pre­ser­ving the tra­di­ti­onal craft of hand­lo­om weaving, the­reby sus­ta­ining 200,000 jobs for arti­sans. The weavers can cho­ose the­ir co-ope­ra­ti­ve, fos­te­ring a sen­se of owner­ship and pri­de in the­ir work. The­se arti­sans, wor­king in eit­her home set­tin­gs or local weaving cen­tres, rece­ive fair wages nego­ti­ated with the gover­n­ment, ensu­ring a dig­ni­fi­ed life. Fur­t­her­mo­re, they bene­fit from wel­fa­re pro­grams pro­vi­ding the­ir chil­dren with heal­th insu­ran­ce, pen­si­ons, and edu­ca­ti­onal sup­port. The cot­ton for the­se towels is sour­ced from NHDS in Coim­ba­to­re, sup­por­ting vari­ous cot­ton-growing sta­tes in India. Alt­ho­ugh not bio-cer­ti­fi­ed, the dye­ing pro­cess uses AZO- and PCP-free colo­urs, ensu­ring safety and sustainability.

Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s enti­re bed­ding and pil­low col­lec­ti­on is a tes­ta­ment to sus­ta­ina­ble luxury, craf­ted from cer­ti­fi­ed orga­nic cot­ton. The­ir col­lec­ti­on is meti­cu­lo­us­ly sewn in a small family-run wor­k­shop in Saxony, Ger­many. The orga­nic cot­ton ori­gi­na­tes mainly from Kyr­gyz­s­tan and Ugan­da, whe­re the far­mers are fair­ly com­pen­sa­ted and con­ti­nu­ous­ly edu­ca­ted in orga­nic far­ming prac­ti­ces, ensu­ring a sta­ble and ethi­cal sup­ply chain.

Fur­t­her pro­duc­ti­on steps in the­ir bed­ding occur in the Czech Repu­blic, Ger­many and Swit­zer­land, whe­re strin­gent labo­ur regu­la­ti­ons are enforced. 

More­over, the­ir bags and gym sac­ks are sour­ced from Ear­th Posi­ti­ve, a sub­si­di­ary of Con­ti­nen­tal Clot­hing, known for its com­mit­ment to fair wor­king con­di­ti­ons and sus­ta­ina­ble practices.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s com­mit­ment to ethi­cal fashi­on and fair tra­de tran­s­cen­ds mere pro­duc­ti­on, mani­fes­ting in vari­ous com­mu­nity and envi­ron­men­tal ini­ti­ati­ves. The­ir sto­re regu­lar­ly hos­ts events focu­sed on fair fashi­on, featu­ring small ethi­cal labels that sha­re insig­h­ts into the­ir sus­ta­ina­ble sup­ply cha­ins. They edu­ca­te on texti­le cer­ti­fi­ca­ti­ons and showca­se cri­ti­cal films like ​“The True Cost” to raise awa­re­ness abo­ut the real impac­ts of the texti­le indus­try. The­ir Fashi­on Revo­lu­ti­on Day acti­vi­ti­es, espe­ci­al­ly the ​“Who Made Your Clot­hes” pho­to cam­pa­ign, hig­hlig­ht the human ele­ment behind our clothes.

Annu­al­ly, they cele­bra­te the Fair Week with the­ir Fair Cof­fee Table event, ser­ving com­pli­men­tary Fair­tra­de cof­fee and cake to pro­mo­te the posi­ti­ve aspec­ts of fair tra­de. The­ir sto­re beco­mes a hub for lear­ning, wel­co­ming stu­dents and vari­ous gro­ups to enga­ge and under­stand fair fashi­on practices.

Digi­tal­ly, the­ir Fair Tra­de Blog offers a weal­th of infor­ma­ti­on on ethi­cal fashi­on and fair tra­de, featu­ring inter­vi­ews with foun­ders of fair fashi­on labels and insig­h­ts into the­ir sto­re ope­ra­ti­ons. They’re acti­vely invol­ved in the Fair Tra­de Acti­on Alli­an­ce Ber­lin, par­ti­ci­pa­ting in vari­ous fair tra­de acti­vi­ti­es across the city, from fair-tra­de fashi­on to sus­ta­ina­ble food and edu­ca­ti­onal efforts.

The­ir poli­ti­cal com­mit­ment is deep-rooted. From anti-nucle­ar and anti-fas­cist demons­tra­ti­ons to sup­por­ting vari­ous soci­al causes, they’re enga­ged in acti­vism and phi­lan­t­hropy. They’ve sup­por­ted mul­ti­ple ini­ti­ati­ves addre­ssing human rig­h­ts and envi­ron­men­tal pro­tec­ti­on issu­es, from the Rana Pla­za vic­tims’ com­pen­sa­ti­on fund to Amnes­ty Inter­na­ti­onal, Doc­tors of the Wor­ld, and Sea-Wat­ch. The­ir sto­re has also res­pon­ded to spe­ci­fic cri­ses, such as prin­ting soli­da­rity kit­c­hen towels to sup­port Kre­uz­ber­g’s finan­ci­al­ly strug­gling SO36 club during the pandemic.

Hirschkind’s dedi­ca­ti­on to the pla­net’s well-being is woven into every fabric and prac­ti­ce of the brand. The­ir enti­re col­lec­ti­on, from bed­ding and pil­lows to adult and baby clot­hing, is craf­ted from cer­ti­fi­ed orga­nic cot­ton sour­ced from Tan­za­nia, India, Kyr­gyz­s­tan, and Ugan­da. This orga­nic cot­ton, free from har­m­ful toxins, is bet­ter for the envi­ron­ment, its cul­ti­va­tors, and our cus­to­mers, pro­vi­ding aller­gen-free texti­les. This com­mit­ment exten­ds to the vibrant colo­urs of the­ir hand-mixed scre­en prints, ensu­ring each item is not just a piece of clot­hing but a unique piece of artis­try cre­ated with water-based, sol­vent-free inks for a pure, toxin-free experience.

The­ir T‑shirts, emble­ma­tic of the­ir ethi­cal stan­ce, are made from fair-tra­ded Indi­an orga­nic cot­ton in a model fac­tory that uphol­ds the hig­hest envi­ron­men­tal care and wor­ker wel­fa­re stan­dar­ds. This fac­tory pro­ud­ly hol­ds FAIR­TRA­DE, GOTS, and SA8000 cer­ti­fi­ca­ti­ons. Using eco-fri­end­ly dyes and GOTS-appro­ved che­mi­cals in the­ir T‑shirt pro­duc­ti­on reflec­ts the­ir ethos of mini­mi­sing envi­ron­men­tal impact and ensu­ring a heal­t­hy wor­ks­pa­ce for our tailors.

The cot­ton for the­ir bed­ding pro­duc­ts is mainly sour­ced from Ugan­da and Kyr­gyz­s­tan, regi­ons whe­re rain­fall adequ­ately nouri­shes the cot­ton plants. This cho­ice is rooted in the­ir phi­lo­sop­hy aga­inst using toxic and non-degra­da­ble pes­ti­ci­des and fer­ti­li­sers, which harm the envi­ron­ment and the heal­th of cot­ton far­mers and pic­kers. By cho­osing orga­nic cot­ton, they sup­port a safer pro­duc­ti­on for both people and the planet.

The­ir com­mit­ment to sus­ta­ina­bi­lity exten­ds beyond the mate­ri­als they use. They pri­ori­ti­se mini­mal pac­ka­ging, often reusing mate­ri­als and ship­ping with DHL GoGre­en to off­set car­bon emi­ssi­ons. The­ir ethi­cal appro­ach also inclu­des the­ir ban­king and ener­gy cho­ices. They part­ner with Ethik­Bank, which ope­ra­tes on ethi­cal inves­t­ment prin­ci­ples, and power the­ir ope­ra­ti­ons with Natur­strom, an eco-fri­end­ly ener­gy pro­vi­der. Even in the­ir physi­cal sto­re, you’ll find fur­ni­tu­re made from repur­po­sed pal­lets and ener­gy-effi­ci­ent LED lig­h­ting, reflec­ting the­ir dedi­ca­ti­on to a smal­ler eco­lo­gi­cal footprint.

Hir­s­c­h­kind exem­pli­fi­es cir­cu­la­rity in fashi­on by imple­men­ting sus­ta­ina­ble prac­ti­ces that extend the life cycle of the­ir pro­duc­ts and redu­ce was­te. The­ir com­mit­ment to using biode­gra­da­ble and orga­nic mate­ri­als, such as cer­ti­fi­ed orga­nic cot­ton, ensu­res that the­ir clot­hing is envi­ron­men­tal­ly fri­end­ly and decom­po­ses natu­ral­ly at the end of its life. This appro­ach mini­mi­ses the envi­ron­men­tal impact and alig­ns with the prin­ci­ples of a cir­cu­lar eco­nomy. Hir­s­c­h­kin­d’s focus on dura­ble, time­less desig­ns also coun­ters the fast fashi­on trend, enco­ura­ging lon­ger use and redu­cing the need for frequ­ent repla­ce­ments. By pri­ori­ti­sing quality over quan­tity, they fur­t­her extend the lifes­pan of the­ir gar­ments. The­ir use of mini­mal and recy­cla­ble pac­ka­ging and envi­ron­men­tal­ly con­s­ci­ous ship­ping met­hods rein­for­ces the­ir dedi­ca­ti­on to a clo­sed-loop sys­tem, making Hir­s­c­h­kind a true advo­ca­te for cir­cu­lar fashion.

Hir­s­c­h­kind showca­ses a tran­s­pa­rent and com­pact sup­ply cha­in. The­ir clot­hing line, encom­pa­ssing T‑shirts, long sle­eves, skirts, and baby bodysu­its, is craf­ted in India and Kenya. The orga­nic cot­ton in the­se gar­ments is sour­ced direc­tly from India and in Tan­za­nia for items pro­du­ced in Kenya. This appro­ach ensu­res the hig­hest quality and sup­ports local far­mers and the­ir communities.

For the­ir bed­ding col­lec­ti­on, they che­rish a clo­se-to-home appro­ach. The orga­nic cot­ton bed­ding is meti­cu­lo­us­ly sewn in a small family-run wor­k­shop in Saxony, Ger­many. This proxi­mity guaran­te­es fair wor­king con­di­ti­ons and redu­ces the tran­s­por­ta­ti­on foot­print. The raw mate­ri­als for the­se bed­din­gs are pro­cu­red from a biofa­bric manu­fac­tu­rer in Sout­hern Ger­many. This manu­fac­tu­rer part­ners with pro­jec­ts in Ugan­da and Kyr­gyz­s­tan, in col­la­bo­ra­ti­on with the Swiss orga­ni­sa­ti­on Hel­ve­tas, to sour­ce orga­nic cot­ton pri­ma­rily from Kyrgyzstan.

After spin­ning the orga­nic yarn in Ger­many and par­ti­al­ly in Tur­key, it is woven into fabric in the­ir Sout­hern Ger­man supplier’s own faci­lity in the Czech Repu­blic. The fini­shing touc­hes, inclu­ding washing, ble­ac­hing with oxygen, and dye­ing, are car­ri­ed out in Ger­many and Swit­zer­land, adhe­ring to strict eco­lo­gi­cal stan­dar­ds. They use only non-toxic dyes and mate­ri­als, ensu­ring the­ir pro­duc­ts are free from har­m­ful sub­s­tan­ces like azo dyes and for­mal­dehyde, making them safe and hypoallergenic.

Final­ly, the fini­shed, dyed orga­nic fabric is tran­s­por­ted to Saxony, whe­re the­ir bed­ding col­lec­ti­on comes to life. Back in Ber­lin, in the­ir Kre­uz­berg scre­en prin­ting wor­k­shop, Nici hand-prints each piece of bed­ding on a lar­ge hand-prin­ting table. This pro­cess adds a unique, arti­sa­nal touch to the­ir pro­duc­ts, making each item a dis­tin­ct piece of art.

At Hir­s­c­h­kind, The­ir com­mit­ment to ani­mal wel­fa­re is para­mo­unt, ensu­ring the­ir enti­re col­lec­ti­on is vegan and cru­el­ty-free. They con­s­ci­ous­ly avo­id mate­ri­als like pear­ls or hor­ns, tra­di­ti­onal­ly used in non-vegan but­tons deri­ved from ani­mals. Ins­te­ad, they’re tran­si­ti­oned to using natu­ral, aes­t­he­ti­cal­ly ple­asing but­tons made from vege­ta­ble ivory (Ste­in­nuss), pro­du­ced sus­ta­ina­bly in Germany.

The­ir cho­ice of orga­nic cot­ton reflec­ts the­ir stan­ce aga­inst the indi­rect impac­ts of conven­ti­onal texti­le pro­duc­ti­on, whe­re har­m­ful che­mi­cals thre­aten wild­li­fe and ecosystems.

In every aspect of the­ir ope­ra­ti­on, from mate­ri­al sour­cing to pro­duc­ti­on, they stri­ve to res­pect and pro­tect ani­mal life, alig­ning the­ir prac­ti­ces with sus­ta­ina­bi­lity and ethi­cal res­pon­si­bi­lity values.

Hir­s­c­h­kind stan­ds as a para­gon of slow fashi­on, cham­pi­oning the ethos of lon­ge­vity in both appa­rel and inte­ri­or pieces. The­ir com­mit­ment to cre­ating time­less, high-quality pro­duc­ts tran­s­cen­ds ephe­me­ral fast fashi­on tren­ds. By meti­cu­lo­us­ly selec­ting dura­ble, orga­nic mate­ri­als and employing skil­led craf­t­sman­ship, Hir­s­c­h­kind ensu­res each item is built to last, sig­ni­fi­can­tly exten­ding its lifes­pan. This appro­ach hono­urs the tra­di­ti­on of quality over quan­tity and pro­fo­und­ly res­pec­ts the reso­ur­ces inves­ted in each piece. Fur­t­her­mo­re, the­ir desig­ns embody a cla­ssic aes­t­he­tic, ensu­ring they rema­in rele­vant across seasons and years.

This endu­ring appe­al, coupled with the robus­t­ness of the­ir pro­duc­ts, enco­ura­ges a more sus­ta­ina­ble con­sump­ti­on pat­tern, whe­re items are che­ri­shed and used for exten­ded peri­ods, redu­cing the envi­ron­men­tal impact of frequ­ent pur­c­ha­ses and disposal. 

Hir­s­c­h­kind exem­pli­fi­es excep­ti­onal tran­s­pa­ren­cy in the fashi­on indus­try, set­ting a ben­c­h­mark for open­ness and ethi­cal prac­ti­ces. They ope­nly dis­clo­se the­ir part­ne­ring fac­to­ri­es and far­ms, fos­te­ring a cul­tu­re of trust and acco­un­ta­bi­lity. This tran­s­pa­ren­cy exten­ds to reve­aling the ori­gins of the­ir mate­ri­als, the con­di­ti­ons under which the­ir pro­duc­ts are manu­fac­tu­red, and the envi­ron­men­tal impact of the­ir pro­ce­sses. By sha­ring deta­ils of the­ir sup­ply cha­in, from the sus­ta­ina­ble far­ms whe­re the­ir orga­nic cot­ton is har­ves­ted to the ethi­cal fac­to­ri­es whe­re the­ir gar­ments are craf­ted, the brand invi­tes cus­to­mers to under­stand and appre­ci­ate the jour­ney behind each pro­duct. This level of open­ness rein­for­ces the­ir com­mit­ment to ethi­cal prac­ti­ces and empowers con­su­mers to make infor­med deci­si­ons, alig­ning the­ir pur­c­ha­ses with the­ir values.