What is your mission as a responsible brand in 2022?
We will continue the dialogue we have with our customers and keep encouraging them to invest in clothes made to last rather than focusing on short term trends and excessive consumption. We don’t consider swift trends. We’re dedicated to long-lasting quality. With a Scandinavian timeless look,durable materials, and versatile functionality - we want to extend the lifetime of clothing by offering a permanent collection that never goes out of style.
What drew your team to HD® Wool Apparel Insulation?
Our aim is to always use high-quality materials and fabrics to create durable, multifunctional, and responsible garments. In the idea stage of what later became the ARV jacket we decided to search the market for a natural insulation fabric and this drew our attention to HD® Wool Apparel Insulation. The unique innovation of wool batting offers the most insulation with the least amount of weight which made it possible to design a jacket that is as light and thin as it is warm and comfortable. Since the wool is also credibly sourced through certified non-mulesed supply chains and ethically managed with local farming cooperatives it was an easy choice!
How was working with the HD® Wool team?
The whole process has been very smooth where the team at HD® Wool has supported us with the technical knowledge to create the perfect jacket. They have also supplied all fabrics in time which made it possible to keep the delivery plans.
What is your definition of ‘Outleisure’ and where did the idea come from to produce apparel under this heading?
We don’t want to have to choose between function and style. The modern everyday life is versatile, so our clothes must be that too! Outleisure is simple, comfortable and multifunctional apparel made for everyday urban and nature adventures.
What excites you the most about the new products you are producing at the moment?
We’re always looking for a gap when we create a new style. We have no intention of offering the world yet another cotton t-shirt or sweater. There are more than enough of those. We like to add pieces that we think are missing. For example, there are a lot of outdoor pants on the market, most of them look more or less the same. However, we couldn’t find any that were functional yet clean enough to wear in everyday life – so we created them ourselves. To find that gap, make it a reality, and discover that our customers share that same idea with us is what excites us the most.
If you could describe some of the new products or projects you’re working on in 3 words, what would they be?
That’s easy, same as always – timeless, versatile, and made for everyday explorations.
Why do you think more people should choose HD® Wool Apparel Insulation for their apparel products?
Synthetic insulation has for long been the standard in performance clothing but with fabrics like HD® Wool Apparel Insulation we are certain that this will change. Unlike synthetics wool works with nature, not against it which as a designer makes it possible to create an even more functionalgarment. This in combination with a fully transparent supply chain makes it an interesting alternative to synthetics.
Which other materials do you work with where you are able to trace back to its origins and how is this shared with your customers?
We always try to be as transparent as possible with our customers. At the moment we can trace our products down to tier 1 and 2 suppliers, and we do share all the knowledge we have about them on hajk.com. (i.e. the factories where the clothes are made and how the materials are produced). Our ambition for the future is to trace the raw materials all the way down to tier 3 suppliers, back to their true origin - like we are able to do with the HD® Wool insulation in our ARV jacket.
