New Dutch fashion brand New Optimist brings sustainable fashion with a social mission

New fashion brand New Optimist wants to show that fashion can be social, local and sustainable. In order to open a store with instore atelier in Amsterdam, the fashion brand started a crowdfunding campaign. The new location will be the vibrant heart of the brand, from which the inclusive and sustainable story of New Optimist will be told. In the atelier, clothing is made from circular, natural and vegan materials. New Optimist puts the making process and the makers in the spotlight to show who and how the clothes are made by. In this way New Optimist lets you experience how special the profession really is.

Founders of New Optimist Nelleke Wegdam, Xander Slager and Merel Wicker are three experienced professionals from the fashion industry who found each other in the ambition to do things differently. Xander: “Fashion today too often stands for fast trends, low prices and fleetingness. It has become a mass product that is often manufactured at the expense of people and the planet. We want to show that things can be done differently by making sustainable clothing and at the same time offering a helping hand to the people around us. In the store with the atelier we offer workplaces on different levels, partly for people with a distance to the labor market. These are often with people with a refugee background.”

The story behind each garment
New Optimist does not make collections but works in batches. Nelleke: “The starting point of each batch is the fabric we will use to make the clothing. With each batch, we take you through the real story behind each garment, from the choice of fabric to the final product. We explain why we use certain materials and what is sustainable about them. And we invite everyone to look over the shoulders of the makers online and in the studio.” Batch 001 has just launched and consists of hoodies and other tops made from knit fabrics of Texloop RCOT recycled cotton yarn. New Optimist shares and sells the clothes from batch 001 via Instagram and is currently making them in a temporary studio in the Pijp area of Amsterdam.

New Optimist
The founders believe that the social mission of the new fashion brand should be carried by as many shoulders as possible. Merel: “We know that there are many people who share our ideals. Together with the crowd we can show that it is possible to produce clothes socially and sustainably.”

Through CrowdAboutNow, New Optimist started a crowdfunding campaign to open the store with instore atelier. “All New Optimists can participate in the crowdfunding via a loan or the purchase of a voucher,” says Nelleke. The minimum loan is €250 with an annual interest rate of four percent. The higher the amount, the more extras for the investor. Think of mentioning your name on the wall of fame in the store; the chance to have a limited edition garment stamped with a personal edition number; or a special sewing course in the studio. By supporting New Optimist, customers become part of a community that stands for change in fashion: sustainable, social and local.

Click here for more information about the crowdfunding campaign.