Guilt-Free Sun Protection:
Hats from Sustainably Sourced Materials
Every 10 minutes, Australians dump 15 tonnes of clothing and fabric waste, totalling around 31kg per person, per year. (That’s enough to fill up Sydney harbour every year!)
On average, approximately 40 million (baseball) hats are sold across the globe every year. The process of production for fast fashioned hats has severe impacts on the environment, from its manufacturing process to shipment for delivery, and its discardable nature.
Helping the world’s second largest ocean polluter
Indonesia, our closest international neighbour, is a site of mass pollution, currently standing as the world's second largest ocean polluter. As a hub for the manufacture of international textile products, producing around 2.4% of the world’s textiles, Indonesia is subject to the major waste output and impacts of excessive garment production. Large production requirements, as well as poor waste management systems, have enabled severe levels of pollution to flourish in Indonesia, and along with it, the risks of health and environmental impacts (and its ocean/waterways). Our need for simple, fast fashioned goods has created damaging effects and waste problems in our neighbours backyard!
Topiku (‘My hat’ in Indonesian) has worked towards creating a solution to the problems that come from our fast-fashion desires and aim to clean up Indonesia in the process. Topiku’s hats and products are made from entirely sustainable and reused products and processes, working to empower local, developing, Indonesian communities and their economy to help clean up their nation and provide the world options to overcome fast fashion.
100% Guilt-Free and Reduce Carbon Footprint - 100% From….
Topiku’s hats are made from entirely up- or re- cycled materials, salvaging waste from landfill to reduce Indonesia's waste problem, whilst also collaborating with local producers for scraps and showing appreciation for traditional Indonesian heritage.
As every aspect of the hat has been up- or re-cycled/is not a new material, Topiku has successfully managed to reduce their carbon footprint by 80%. It utilises 100% sustainable materials and practices in designing their one-of-a-kind hats, diverting scraps and ‘waste’ from landfill and promoting local cultural heritage.
Indonesian garbage pickers, pemulung, work in poor, harsh conditions for a minimum wage. Topiku’s need for recycled landfill (buckets and aluminium) empowers local pemulung workers, providing work for some of them at a fair wage whilst also reducing and diverting the load of Indonesia's major waste piles/landfill.
Topiku collaborates with local businesses to receive their scraps and offcuts which they recycle/repurpose to use for their hats, diverting the new waste from landfill. Topiku works with local artisans who produce their high-quality products in fair and equitable working conditions, unlike tradition, mainstream sweatshops, providing equal opportunities for men and women, and creating a community for the workers to support and upskill one another in their specialised skills.
Topiku not only promotes sustainability in the global fashion industry, but also helps spread the beauty of traditional Indonesian culture. The use of scrap Batik prints from local designers on the underside of the hats to make each one symbolic of Indonesian heritage and make each hat unique through its colourful, upcycled design. Batik is a traditional Indonesian cloth made by wax-dyeing process, utilised to create colourful and intricate patterns on cloths and fabrics.
We can reduce our carbon footprint, as our closest neighbour, Indonesia is half the distance from China, not only can we remove the emissions of large travel costs.
Checkout www.topiku.co and @topiku.co for fashionable, guilt-free sun protection all year long!
Images credit @topiku.co