Content created in partnership with WellingtonNZ

As the climate crisis becomes increasingly apparent, the fashion and beauty industries are beginning to take a hard look at their impact across the board. In Wellington, however, local brands have long been carving out a path in the sustainability space.

In 1993, Laurie Foon cemented herself as a pioneer with her label Starfish, making environmentally-friendly clothing before it was mainstream. Since then, a raft of Wellington labels have been popping up to tackle the thorny issues that conversations around sustainability often present.

A handful of these labels are featured here, and while they all take different approaches, they’re unified by their desire to interrogate every aspect of their business, from supply chain to ingredients to packaging. Crucially, they’re also all underpinned by the desire to make products you actually want. Ones as durable and beautiful as you’ll find anywhere else - proving that when it comes to sustainability, you don’t have to sacrifice quality and style.

Nisa

What you wear beneath your clothes is generally a very personal thing, but for underwear label  Nisa, it’s all about community. The company was founded to provide people from refugee and migrant backgrounds not only employment opportunities, but a place to make friends, practice English, and get a foot in the door of Aotearoa’s workforce.

Founder Elisha Watson started Nisa in 2017, when she was working as a lawyer and volunteering for the Red Cross’ resettlement programme, which helps newly-arrived refugees set up life here. While a lot of support was given in other areas, they often faced obstacles when it came to getting employed - so Elisha started a business to create these opportunities.

What you wear beneath your clothes is generally a very personal thing, but for underwear label  Nisa, it’s all about community. The company was founded to provide people from refugee and migrant backgrounds not only employment opportunities, but a place to make friends, practice English, and get a foot in the door of Aotearoa’s workforce.

Founder Elisha Watson started Nisa in 2017, when she was working as a lawyer and volunteering for the Red Cross’ resettlement programme, which helps newly-arrived refugees set up life here. While a lot of support was given in other areas, they often faced obstacles when it came to getting employed - so Elisha started a business to create these opportunities.

“For some, it's a chance to have a place to work as a team and practice English, and for others it's the start of a long and colourful career in New Zealand,” says Emily Partridge, Nisa’s digital manager.

Five years later, Nisa employs 24 people, and has 18 alumni who’ve gone on to work and study in a range of fields. They’re also committed to sourcing ethically produced, high quality fabrics that last, and produce small runs of their garments to reduce wastage.

Visit Nisa at 99 Willis Street, Te Aro, Wellington.

Kowtow

Gosia Piatek founded Kowtow back in 2006, long before sustainability became a buzzword. The brand has since become a staple for those seeking quality, ethically-made clothing that doesn’t compromise on style.

All of Kowtow’s garments are made with 100% organic cotton - a natural, biodegradable and renewable resource free of harmful chemicals. They also work with certified Fairtrade workers from seed to garment in a traceable supply chain, and offer free take back and mending services.

Design-wise, they avoid trends and put a premium on timelessness, spending 18 months working on a product before it hits the shops.

“We often see ourselves as product designers more than fashion designers,” say Marilou Dadat (creative director) and Emma Wallace (managing director). “We simply want our products to be durable, practical and beautiful in a timeless way.”

Visit Kowtow at 29 College Street, Te Aro, Wellington.

Abel Odor

Making perfume is as much of a science as it is an art, but as Abel Odor proves, that doesn’t mean it has to be filled with harmful chemicals. In 2011, then Amsterdam-based former winemaker Frances Shoemack came up with the idea after failing to find a truly natural perfume. So, with the help of Isaac Sinclair - the label’s master perfumer - they created their own.

While fragrance manufacturers aren’t legally required to list their ingredients (a decades-old law designed to ‘protect trade secrets’) Abel Odor believes in full transparency, publishing their own online.

For them, ‘natural’ means that every ingredient in their products started life as a plant - as opposed to synthetic fragrance molecules, which are often derived from fossil fuels, contain non-biodegradable pollutants, and have links to health concerns. It’s an easy choice, really.

Visit Abel Odor's micro perfumery at 83 Aro Street, Aro Valley, Wellington.

Yu Mei

In 2015, Yu Mei founder Jessie Wong couldn’t find a design-conscious bag that fitted everything she needed in a day, from laptop to make-up bag to A3 visual diary. So she set about creating one. Six years later, the company’s making a big impact in the regenerative fashion space.

While leather is often sidestepped by those wanting to make conscious decisions, Yu Mei makes a strong case for the sustainability of its signature deer nappa. It’s a byproduct of the venison industry that would otherwise be waste, comes from local, responsibly-farmed deer - which have a far lower ecological footprint than cow or sheep - and is prized for its softness and longevity. “At the end of the day, customers are only going to choose - and keep using - products that actually function, last and look good,” Jessie says.

Design is equally crucial, with Yu Mei crafting timeless products that transcend trends. They’re also Toitū Net Carbon Zero certified, and are big on circularity - offering free bag refurbishment and a return programme for preloved bags, and holding annual Archive Events to use up all their leftover leather and hardware, in their ongoing effort to minimise waste.

Visit Yu Mei at 85 Victoria Street, Te Aro, Wellington.

Sphaera

“I was intrigued by the idea of taking something as simple and essential as soap and making it as beautiful as possible,” says Ali Johnson, one half of Sphaera (alongside Suni Hermon). The luxury soap and hair-care label crafts products free of plastic packaging, palm oil, sulphates and other nasties. And beautiful they are, with packaging so pretty you almost won’t want to put it in the recycling bin.

Spheara’s recent foray into hair-care bars came when they saw an opportunity for more choice in that market. “We knew we could make a bigger impact on reducing plastic usage and improving water quality by applying our principles to a new area of personal care,” they say of the products, which involved four years of research and development.  

While Sphaera have their sustainability credentials in check, they don’t shout about it. “We would like our bars to be chosen first and foremost because of how beautiful they make your hair and skin look and feel,” Ali says, “and are happy that the environmental credentials can quietly support the natural quality of the products themselves.”

Sphaera stockists include Kaukau, 30 Ghuznee St, and Cranfields, 40 Johnston Street.