Yep, you read that correctly.
TWOOBS is not a sustainable brand… and it has really never been our intention for you to think we are.
Wait wait wait, before you start throwing tomatoes at us at least hear us out.
Back in 2020, we set out to become Australia’s most sustainable footwear brand. Key word: most. Flash forward to 2023, we actually think we’ve done a pretty rad job of it (YAY team). But even while approaching everything at TWOOBS with an environmental focus, we still don’t think that makes us sustainable, and you will never hear us claim to be.
Make sure you’re sittin down for this one babe coz we’re about to hit you with some hard truths.
Hard truth #1: We feel strongly (like really really strongly) that the fashion industry as it stands is inherently unsustainable. Gulp. It is totally reliant on trends and encourages you to get bored of what you already have - the whole “what is cool today won’t be cool tomorrow” thing. Oh and when you buy stuff, the industry thrives - like the more you buy, the more it thrives.
Hard truth #2: If a brand crowned themselves “sustainable” today, what would their tomorrow look like? Sustainability is a journey, not a destination, and if we just stuck with best practice as it currently stands we’d all still be f’ed in 30 years. This isn’t time to pat ourselves on the back, it’s time to get jiggy with it. And by that we obviously mean constantly pushing ourselves to reimagine how we do things.
Hard truth #3: Some brands want you to think they’re sustainable so you can over consume all the goodies guilt-free, but that would be baaahd. It’s kinda like that beloved morning coffee ritual. One oat latte might have you feeling great, but 20 cups in a day and you might be feeling pretty ick.. It’s the same with fashion. Even if you’re buying the most “sustainable” t-shirt made from apples and unicorn dust, buying one is good, but a bunch you don’t need will just create waste, and put a lot of pressure on apple production and those poor unicorns which all has a flow on effect for the environment.
We know that dog in your brain is prob chasing its tail right now, and it might sound a little something like “woah, wait, what? So should I not be trusting brands that call themselves sustainable now?".
To which we would say - it depends. Eeeep what an annoying answer.
Some of the brands making these claims are people and companies we totally love, and we really get where they’re coming from. It’s a wild world out there full of brands doing really bad stuff, and when you are a brand who is genuinely doing good stuff, it’s hard to let people know about it without diving too much into the hairy deets.
But at TWOOBS you know we’re here for them hairy deets, and the last thing we would want you to do after reading this is throw your hands in the air like you just don’t care (coz we know you do) and buy fast fashion because it’s all too damn hard. It is hard, but you are a thoughtful, compassionate human being who can do hard things (Glennon fans?).
What we would love you to do is approach all brands with an inquisitive nature. Just keep your eyes open - read reviews, ask questions, and if you like the answers, mindfully consume products rather than popping them like tictacs - or nerds, whatever floats your sugary boat.
And remember, we believe in you!
Jess and Stef x
