Clothing brand Vanilia: an undiscovered sustainable gem

What woman doesn't have a Vanilia garment hanging in her closet? These high-quality and timeless garments are perfect for any occasion. Whether you have to pop at work, are expected at a party or brave the Dutch weather on your bike for an errand: Vanilia garments are always a good fit. But what many people don't know is that the very Dutch Vanilia is also a fashion brand that does its best to produce as sustainably as possible. In this article, I tell you all about it.

Vanilia a fair fashion clothing brand

In collaboration with Vanilia

Over 30 years ago, well before sustainability was a thing in the fashion world, Vanilia founder Michel Hulzebosch (who is still managing director of the fashion company) was already working on the subject. He ‘just’ wanted to make beautiful clothes. And for him, sustainability was only logical to realise that dream. To this day, he does everything in-house. Designing and testing are all done at the head office in Wormerveer, the beautiful fabrics are sourced as close to home as possible in Italy and Turkey. And the sewing workshop in Turkey, where 300 garment makers work, is also owned by Vanilia. Everything is produced here under fair conditions.

Mass production they don't do at Vanilia. Fine! After all, it's no fun when you bump into another guest at a wedding who is frolicking around in the same dress. It all makes pretty good sense how Vanilia approached it from the start, only that the fashion world has changed and become so incredibly disrupted that this approach is now more the exception than the rule.

A peek at an in-store atelier at Vanilia. If your clothing is broken or you no longer like the model, you can hand it in to the shop and it will be repaired or altered (often free of charge) for you with original haberdashery. Want to know more? Then check out the webshop!

Vanilia, a great sustainable choice in your wardrobe

Such a good story and yet Vanilia does not often pop up in sustainable fashion lists. Too bad, because this typically Dutch fashion brand has a good story. I spoke to Marjolein van Wijck, Marketing Manager at Vanilia to find out more. ‘Quite a lot of women in the Netherlands know and enjoy wearing our clothes, but not necessarily because of our sustainability. And that's actually a real shame, because it is indeed a more sustainable buy you can be proud of.’

Beautiful sustainable achievements by Vanilia

Thanks to the fun conversation with Marjolein, I have completely rediscovered Vanilia. Because of this good entrepreneurial story, I now look with totally different eyes at those fine black Vanilia trousers I've had hanging in my closet for years. And I think this new green glow will make me wear them more often again. Vanilia's finest sustainable achievements that more people should know about:

• No mass production, but a small new collection of up to three hundred pieces every month. In case of success, a small additional order of 150 pieces is sometimes placed. Often, interested parties can ask for a ‘back in stock notification’ on the website so that you can be the first to get hold of the garment when it is back in stock, and Vanilia can make a better estimate of exactly how many more pieces need to be made.
• At the sample workshop in Wormerveer, all first samples are made and tested extensively. Fun fact: employees in Wormerveer are regularly asked to wear and test a new garment extensively for two days.
• To minimise waste, old sample garments are not thrown away, but adapted and reused for new collections.
• Wherever possible, sustainable and certified fabrics are used. These are mostly bought in Italy, but are first extensively tested in the Netherlands. If a fabric fluffs or tears, it is not taken into production.
• Therefore, you will still find fake polyester leather and other polyester fabrics in the collection. These fabrics are not always of recycled origin. Marjolein: ‘This is a conscious choice because tests show that recycled polyester fabrics are not always sturdy enough. Ultimately, the most sustainable thing is for a garment to last as long as possible. Especially for the Dutch woman who generally cycles a lot of kilometres in a year anyway.’
  
  

Vanilia's clothing workshop in Turkey, owned by Vanilia's Dutch founder.

• At the atelier in Wormerveer, a permanent team of four designers works on the various collections. They have been working there for years, which ensures a recognisable handwriting in the designs. The team also includes pattern makers who design all patterns by hand.
• The clothes are produced in their own factory in Turkey. The employees are taken to the factory by bus every day, receive a hot lunch with fresh vegetables from the kitchen garden every day, and a doctor visits every Friday to answer medical questions.
• The factory in Turkey is equipped with modern equipment. These are safer and lighter than older equipment.
• There is intensive cooperation with the factory in Turkey. The Vanilia team also employs a Turkish-Dutch translator.
• Clothing is not flown in, but comes here twice a month by truck. The clothes are transported in dust bags made of residues.
• Vanilia works with smart stock management, which is also important to minimise the chance of surpluses. If you order something in the webshop, it might just be from the shop in Groningen. For this reason, clothes are often not delivered with one click tomorrow, but within a few days.
• Vanilia thinks size consistency is super important: you should be able to blindly trust that a size 38 will always fall like a 38. That's the only way to minimise returns.
• Vanilia has a repair service. In all boutiques and also at the head office, you can have your Vanilia clothes repaired or altered (often) free of charge, for example if you are tired of the model or your posture has changed. A nice bonus is that your clothes will be repaired with Vanilia haberdashery. In five shops, the repair service is even arranged in-house.
• Once or twice a year, Vanilia calls on customers to hand in good unworn items for charity. These items are donated to the Salvation Army's ReShare stores. The proceeds of these items benefit the Salvation Army Foundation. As a customer, you will receive a voucher to buy an item from the new collection at a discount (or to pass this gift voucher on to someone else).
• Since last year, Vanilia has filled the roof of its studio in Turkey with solar panels.
• The next step for Vanilia is to make its CO2 emissions transparent. This is something they are currently working hard on.
• Photo shoots for the catalogue are not done in exotic places, but simply in Wijk aan Zee. Just as beautiful as Cape Town, but a lot closer. Fun fact: sometimes colleagues are used as models.
• Look around when you are in a Vanilia boutique, as they have done their best to restore all the premises to their original state as much as possible. That's why the shops are often so gorgeous!
  
  

Also discover sustainable gem Vanilia?

Like me, have you also become enthusiastic about Vanilia? And are you also looking for a new outfit soon? Whether you are looking for a new look for work, a party outfit or an everyday look: Vanilia has something beautiful and, above all, comfortable for every occasion and every type of woman. Because if Vanilia founder Hulzebosch thinks one thing is important, it is that clothes should be comfortable and make you feel confident. Curious? Then take a quick look in the webshop or visit one of seventeen beautiful boutiques around the country.

Some items from Vanilia's collection.

More sustainable tips from thegreenlist.nl

• Also see: is bamboo a sustainable alternative to cotton?
• Also see: is cotton actually a sustainable material?
• Also see: the list of sustainable fashion brands and shops.
  
  

Photo credits: Vanilia.