Starting with fair fashion – Many people would like to switch to a sustainable wardrobe, but often don't know exactly which products to start with. Jan Hogenboom and his small team in Berlin are tackling precisely this challenge with their startup "Honest Basics," offeringsustainable and fair basics for women and men that are timeless and affordable.
We are a small team (two full-time and two part-time) of product developers and buyers. We all originally worked in the conventional fast fashion industry, but after a few years, we'd had enough. About two years ago, we started looking for sustainable basics because we saw the negative impact of the fast fashion industry and wanted alternatives. At the time, we were a bit disappointed with what was available: most products were very expensive and sometimes a bit outdated. There has to be a cooler way, we thought!
At Honest Basics, we only offer basics because everyone can wear them and everyone already has basics in their wardrobe. By offering very fair prices from the start, we reach a broad target group, giving them the opportunity to switch to ethical fashion relatively easily without having to pay significantly more than for conventional clothing. We deliberately avoid producing trendy items because these are typically only worn for one or two seasons. Basics are inherently more sustainable because they are, so to speak, always wearable.
At Honest Basics, we deliberately offer our products at low prices because we believe many people would like to switch to sustainable fashion. However, if a fair trade T-shirt costs €30 instead of €8, that's too big a price difference for most people. Our prices are low because we...
We are currently working with a factory called Knit Plus in Bangladesh. The factory is GOTS-certified, and so are all our products. The factory pays very close attention to working conditions (e.g., no child labor, no excessive overworking, etc.). We visited the factory ourselves and saw everything firsthand. Bangladesh is a very, very poor country. We believe that by working with this partner factory, we can help the country in a small way and establish a long-term, stable production. The factory directly provides 5,000 people (and many more indirectly) with a stable income under good working conditions.
At the moment, we only use organic cotton. A few of our tops also contain elastane, which, unfortunately, is made from petroleum. We're still looking for a good alternative, but that's not so easy. We're also working with Tencel, but it's not yet widely produced in Bangladesh. Hopefully, that will change.
New products: Our first sweater collection will be online in a few weeks, including hoodies, joggers, and more. At the end of the year, we'll also be adding men's boxer shorts to our range. Next year, we'll expand our T-shirt selection and produce several tops. We'll probably also make some T-shirt dresses. And we hope to be able to offer jeans soon as well.
Hopefully, in five years Honest Basics will be a stable company with a large fan base throughout Europe. Our goal is to build a broad collection so that you can find a sustainable alternative for all your clothing needs. From T-shirts and hoodies to shirts, jackets, underwear, jeans, trousers, and of course, socks :)
Want to take a closer look at Honest Basics products? Click here to see the imperfect models in the shop.
1. Who and what is behind “Honest Basics”?
We are a small team (two full-time and two part-time) of product developers and buyers. We all originally worked in the conventional fast fashion industry, but after a few years, we'd had enough. About two years ago, we started looking for sustainable basics because we saw the negative impact of the fast fashion industry and wanted alternatives. At the time, we were a bit disappointed with what was available: most products were very expensive and sometimes a bit outdated. There has to be a cooler way, we thought!
2. Why did you decide to offer only basic courses?
At Honest Basics, we only offer basics because everyone can wear them and everyone already has basics in their wardrobe. By offering very fair prices from the start, we reach a broad target group, giving them the opportunity to switch to ethical fashion relatively easily without having to pay significantly more than for conventional clothing. We deliberately avoid producing trendy items because these are typically only worn for one or two seasons. Basics are inherently more sustainable because they are, so to speak, always wearable.
3. A T-shirt in your shop normally costs €14. That's not really a lot of money for a fairly produced T-shirt. How can you offer your customers such low prices?
At Honest Basics, we deliberately offer our products at low prices because we believe many people would like to switch to sustainable fashion. However, if a fair trade T-shirt costs €30 instead of €8, that's too big a price difference for most people. Our prices are low because we...
- We don't do wholesale, so we're always about 25% cheaper than brands that work with retailers.
- Buy directly from the factory in Bangladesh. Production there is fair (see below), but of course the costs are much lower when you buy in Bangladesh, compared to, for example, T-shirts from Portugal.
4. Where do you have your products manufactured and how do you ensure that local standards, such as labor laws and occupational safety, are met? Countries in Southeast Asia, in particular, don't have a good reputation regarding fair production due to various factory collapses.
We are currently working with a factory called Knit Plus in Bangladesh. The factory is GOTS-certified, and so are all our products. The factory pays very close attention to working conditions (e.g., no child labor, no excessive overworking, etc.). We visited the factory ourselves and saw everything firsthand. Bangladesh is a very, very poor country. We believe that by working with this partner factory, we can help the country in a small way and establish a long-term, stable production. The factory directly provides 5,000 people (and many more indirectly) with a stable income under good working conditions.
5. Regarding materials: What materials do you use for your products, and do you plan to offer even more products in the future?
At the moment, we only use organic cotton. A few of our tops also contain elastane, which, unfortunately, is made from petroleum. We're still looking for a good alternative, but that's not so easy. We're also working with Tencel, but it's not yet widely produced in Bangladesh. Hopefully, that will change.
New products: Our first sweater collection will be online in a few weeks, including hoodies, joggers, and more. At the end of the year, we'll also be adding men's boxer shorts to our range. Next year, we'll expand our T-shirt selection and produce several tops. We'll probably also make some T-shirt dresses. And we hope to be able to offer jeans soon as well.
6. Where do you see Honest Basics in five years?
Hopefully, in five years Honest Basics will be a stable company with a large fan base throughout Europe. Our goal is to build a broad collection so that you can find a sustainable alternative for all your clothing needs. From T-shirts and hoodies to shirts, jackets, underwear, jeans, trousers, and of course, socks :)
Want to take a closer look at Honest Basics products? Click here to see the imperfect models in the shop.
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