Kuyichi

A. The main facts about the activities of the company.

Kuyichi is a fashion brand based in the Netherlands that focuses on producing clothes that encourage slow fashion and a more considerate approach towards production of clothes. They are the first fashion brand since 2001 to produce organic cotton jeans ( Wet processing where certain chemicals are omitted from the production and the usage of water, and energy is limited). They are very much aware of the impact the fashion industry has on the environment and are working towards innovative methods to produce clothes and reduce the unfavourable impact the industry has on the environment.

Each of their apparel has a story attached to it of the person who made that product. A lot of consumers today want to know where their products are made and this is what makes Kuyichi special.
They pay attention to every aspect of their product’s impact, from finding better ways to transport the raw materials from the source to the production house, as well as the finished product to the consumer. Made-by ( eco-friendly consultancy firm )actively keeps a log of Kuyichi’s progress in their mission to make fashion a sustainable industry again. This log can be found on their website. Kuyichi is also working with Fair Wear Foundation who aim to improve working conditions for garment workers around the world. This non-profit organisation verifies whether changes have been made or not in regards to the environment the workers are working in.

Kuyichi is completely transparent in it’s production process and has literally opened it’s factory doors to it’s customers. They believe that everything is interconnected and that to be sustainable it is important to act responsibly.

B. The Ethical challenges this company is addressing.

To highlight the main issues that Kuyichi is addressing are : Fast fashion, working conditions for labour, impact of the clothing industry on the world / environment, and conservative, considerate and innovative ways to make clothes ( especially jeans ). In an industry that encourages it’s customers to adopt a fast fashion look, here is Kuyichi with it’s aim to be more sustainable.

The fashion industry is known for having unfavourable working conditions for people and to make things even harder, these workers are do not receive an adequate amount of wage either. Exploitation of labour is a huge feature that has now become a reputation the fashion industry holds. To make things worse, fast fashion encourages people to purchase more and more and throw away even more so whatever gets produced, has value to the consumer only for a short period of time.

Kuyichi stands out because they have realised the need to do something about these pressing issues and is working with NGOs and it’s customers to create a healthier and better approach to fashion. In a way they are like Fairphone in the fashion industry.
They give due importance to their customer by creating products with a story of who made them, as well as a chance for the customers to see how things really work in the production houses.

C. What makes you believe this company is really ethical and why you trust it?

Kuyichi is a brand that really represented all the values of ethics and concerns for our environment. Indeed, by offering clothes made using organic and ecological cotton and while trying to develop new environmentally friendly materials as the Lenour, soybeans or ecological leather made from plant material, Kuyichi has managed to stand out by becoming the pioneer brand of organic jeans

In addition, an ethical dimension also means that consumers can know where their clothes come thanks to the initiative "Made-by". That is why, on each garment proposed by Kuyichi, there is a label with an identification number. With this number, consumers can go on the website and know the traceability of each product.
The brand slogan also shows that the brand is really ethical: “Yes, we love the world because without it there would be no denim or fashion for that matter”. With this slogan, the brand presents its history, philosophy and a new way of thinking, and of consumption.

We believe that this company is an example of our future enterprises. It combines economic activity with respect for the environment and workers. In addition, the brand is really involved in numerous commitments for the environment, to provide a better world for our future generations. The brand Kuyichi is a model for our future: it is with these values that companies seem to be oriented. Kuyichi encourages us to ask the right questions and understand that sustainable and respectful can rhyme with fashion.

D.The possible challenges facing the company in the future and how you think this company may improve.

The main challenge that Kuyichi is facing is the increase of fast fashion. People buy a lot of cheap cloths, wear those only once or twice and then throw it away or it will hang in their closet without using it. Kuyichi sells cloths that have a long durability and are able to be recycled. Kuyichi shouldn’t want to be part of the fast fashion industry, instead they should challenge this problem in their own way.

Kuyichi already gives the customers the ability to give back their old cloths to let them be recycled to new ones. It can also try to give this recycling a personal twist. People could hand in their old cloths and pay to get a new piece of cloth made of their recycled product. This gives the customer a way to invest instead of just buying the product, like the way FairPhone does business.

Another idea for Kuyichi to support the developments of fashion libraries. Fashion libraries lend their cloths to customers and try to prevent that cloths are only worn once. Kuyichi can start its own fashion library or can try to become one of the main brands that are used in the fashion libraries that are already existing.