Finally here! The first 100 % plastic-free T-shirt

The „urge to make a positive change“ is probably the best motivation there is for founding a sustainable company. At the outset it was not at all clear that a clothing brand would come of it. According to MUNTAGNARD’s founding story, managing directors Dario Pirovino and Dario Grünenfelder turned to the textile industry „purely by chance“ during a joint brainstorming session. Which innovative products emerged from that, and what it all has to do with freedom from plastic, is the subject of today’s blog post.

Rethinking materials and production processes

With a rigorous commitment to sustainability, Dario & Dario develop high-quality, comfortable clothing from recyclable, biodegradable materials. Their principle: „make something ourselves that we can be proud of“. That sounds simple at first, but it involves intensive work that is often invisible to the buyer. The company’s passion project is to bring the „best possible“ jacket to market. A major challenge – during the design process important decisions had to be revised and a few setbacks accepted. For the two of them, product development starts with the material. If the right fabric for a product idea does not exist, MUNTAGNARD simply develops it themselves. How do they manage that? Through intensive collaboration with experienced producers who are just as passionate about sustainability. On the company website, anyone interested can take a comprehensive look behind the scenes of the entire production chain.

What does flustix have to do with it?

The flustix team has been pursuing the plan of tracking down plastic-free fashion and labelling it visibly for consumers for some time. At first we thought it could not be all that difficult – think of organic cotton, silk or linen fabrics. We learned that for „plastic-free“ it is not enough to look at the fabric alone, and had to conclude that 100 % plastic-free clothing barely exists on the market at all!

Plastic-free fashion?! Not a chance!

Why is 100 % plastic-free fashion so rare, and what does MUNTAGNARD do differently? Items of clothing are almost always sewn with polyester thread. Unfortunately that thread can no longer be removed from the shirt during the textile recycling process, so that even a conventional cotton shirt that is plastic-free in itself can only be incinerated once it ends up in the bin. With functional clothing the fabric is usually made of plastic too. Most printing inks are plastic-based, as are care labels and other components. Anyone who would like to dive deeper into the subject will find more information in the blog article „Fashion and plastic“.

The LEGNA T-shirt is certified plastic-free

The MUNTAGNARD team has managed to bring the first certified plastic-free T-shirt to market. LEGNA is designed to be free of plastic down to the smallest detail. Both the fabric and the sewing thread consist of 100 % wood from certified cultivation. MUNTAGNARD does without a label, because all the important information appears as a water-based print below the neckline. High quality and comfort distinguish this minimalist garment. The material is even more breathable than cotton and less prone to odours than polyester.

Changing fashion with the highest standards of sustainability

The fact that MUNTAGNARD is run by two industry outsiders shows in their fresh perspective on the textile industry’s established production processes. During the design process the team questions traditional methods and rethinks every product from its very origin. The end result is meant to be a „holistically thought-through garment“. That can also mean that a planned product launch has to be postponed – because the label is determined to avoid a product reaching the market under economic pressure that does not meet the producers’ standards. We believe that the Swiss company’s brand philosophy is what makes the shift to a sustainable fashion industry possible in the first place. In an age when short-lived fast fashion articles flood the market, a label like MUNTAGNARD is an accelerant for innovation. That is why flustix is particularly looking forward to the launch of the jacket. Plastic-free, perhaps?! In any case we are sure that this masterpiece will have rather little in common with off-the-peg fashion.

Information about flustix plastic-free certification, about the consumer seals and about products that are already certified can be found on our website.