The Importance Of Sustainable Production In The 21st Century

In 2005, I had begun to design crochet bags as a project with my late mother to pay homage to this time-honoured craft by giving it a place in the world of the modern woman - women who today possess the same drive and strength of those many generations ago who supported families with this cottage industry.

As a cottage industry, crochet was a skill women used to make money when they were denied the ability to have their own and it was a source of strength for my mother.

While my journey has taken me away from the crochet, my own brand was born of craft and colour and it has always been my mission to keep local craft alive. That’s why we are working closely with the best regional ateliers in Germany and Italy, together with whom we explore edgy twists in the detail and concepts of our collections.

Fashion’s biggest issues are the overproduction-overconsumption cycle, cost reduction and time pressure imposed on almost all parts of the supply chain and the environmental and social impact as a consequence thereof.

That’s why at Rosenstaub we offer permanent collections. As opposed to big corporations who have to almost by definition produce something uniform and sale-able, we as a small brand have the freedom to create exceptional and distinctive designs with a vibrant courage of our own. Our combinations of offbeat materials and colours allow us to play between the lines of established styles, creating timeless pieces that can be worn for years or even a lifetime.

I feel it is our responsibility to help change consumption patterns towards sustainable behaviours and attitudes. That requires a shift in how we think about and value garments and accessories. Part of the luxury is knowing where and under which conditions a product has been made. 

While I feel confident about the social impact and the inimitable quality of our regional small batch production process, I am constantly asking myself: Are we doing enough? What detail can or should be changed? Is there a better alternative? And ,more often than not, we seem to be able to identify potential for improvement. 

One result of this constant exploration of other ideas is the adoption of our Yulex Black Line. YULEX is a luxuriously soft, renewable neoprene alternative made with a natural rubber, sustainably obtained from the bark of the Hevea tree. No rainforest is cut down and all sources have been certified by the Rainforest Alliance. By combining a naturally occurring raw material and renewable solar energy in the production of this fabric, the Co2 footprint was reduced by up to 80%. 

The result of a collaboration with outdoor retailer, Patagonia, YULEX was initially used exclusively for Patagonia water sports products. It has now been released worldwide and I am thrilled to be amongst the first to use it for our new Yulex Black Line.

It is by adopting products like this that we all get to change the world one bag at a time.