5 perfect winter parkas to keep you warm during your lockdown strolls through your neighbourhood.

Most of the days, I spend to much time sitting behind my laptop. But whenever I go outside for a little walk, I feel so much better. I love these cold winter days with blue skies. So one of my favourite things to do during this lockdown is walk through the quiet centre of Utrecht and buy myself a coffee.

Last October I had to say goodbye to my old winter jacket. I bought it six years ago at Scotch and Soda before being interested in sustainable and fair fashion. It was worn out, so a perfect moment to start looking for a sustainable option. But how do you find a fair and sustainable winter jacket? Here are some tips!

1. Patagonia
   Patagonia is a well-known sustainable brand with a mission. Their clothes are of high quality and very durable. And did you know Patagonia pledged to donate 1% of their sales to preserve and restore our natural environment?

“We’re in business to save our home planet.”

Patagonia

2. TEYM
Teym is a unique fashion brand: They believe in One Impeccable Wardrobe. They create one item at a time, pieces that they’ve spent years searching for. They started with the parka in 2015, and now they are working on their ninth item. If you don’t know them yet, it’s worth checking out! I love their T-shirt and Rachel’s boyfriend Mink is a fan of their sweaters as well. You can also visit their atelier in Amsterdam.

3. Ecoalf
Ecoalf is a Spanish brand that aims to clean the oceans of marine waste with help from the fishing industry. It gives a second life to plastic waste through recycling and closing the loop. Their clothes and jackets are made from recycled materials, like cotton, wool and polyester. Their recycled polyester is made from ocean plastic and plastic bottles.

4. Embassy of Bricks and Logs
This brand was born to create a contemporary fashion outerwear brand with high aesthetic and ethical standards. Through their designs, focusing on contemporary, utilitarian silhouettes with a functional approach and the use of hand-selected premium materials, the Embassy brings a high-quality streetwear approach into the realm of ethical fashion.

“The goal is to make a great product that wins people over – and then make it as sustainable as possible.”

Embassy of Bricks and Logs

5. Elvine
This brand was founded in 2001 by the Swedish street artist Daniel Mänd. He named the company Elvine in homage to his grandmother Elvine Mänd, a rigorous seamstress from Estonia who fled to Sweden’s second city Gothenburg in the ’50s. Her creative grandson inherited her passion for craftsmanship, genuine quality and a keen eye for detail.

Gothenburg is known for heavy rain and wind, which has had a major impact on Elvine in regards to our focus on designing stylish jackets with functional features. Elvine simply make jackets for a bearable lifestyle in Gothenburg and other cities alike.

“We believe that the fashion industry’s most important contribution to a sustainable future is to produce garments that do not need to be replaced every season. That is why we design our clothes to be future proof: Timeless styling and high quality so they last a long time – which means you will want to keep them longer. Our customers wear the same Elvine jacket year after year – we love that!”

Elvine