We met Anna Kolomoets, the founder of Lethed, a true Russian sustainable clothing brand from recycle materials, to talk about sustainable consumption, how plastic bottles are becoming fashionable hoodies, and why the word “recycled” should be viewed in a positive context.

How did the idea of ​​creating the Lethed eco-brand come about? What does the name mean?

- I have long wanted to create my own clothing brand, but it was important for me to fill it with meaning. The search for an idea continued for a long time, until one day I went from Moscow to Vladimir through the city of Alexandrov, where I saw a huge dump. This sight struck me to the core. And I told myself that I would reduce the amount of garbage and household waste as much as possible. This is how the idea of ​​creating a clothing brand from Lethed recycle materials was born. This is a Danish word that translates as "lightness, simplicity, convenience."



What fabrics do you work with and why?

- In our work, we use fabrics with polyester yarn in the composition. It is made from plastic granules obtained by recycling plastic bottles, which already reduces the amount of plastic discarded by humans! Since Russia does not yet produce the fabric we need (a very costly business), we buy fabrics abroad. All fabrics are certified and passed strict quality control, which is certainly reflected in Lethed clothes: they are durable, comfortable and absolutely safe. In addition, all of our belongings can and even need to be recycled.

Why, for example, can't you burn old clothes?
- Nowadays most of the fabrics on the market are polyester. Polyester is made from plastic and plastic is made from petroleum products. Therefore, burning such clothes is equal to burning petroleum products. And these are huge emissions of toxic substances into the atmosphere! It is better to turn old clothes into either batting or new things.



What myths do you think prevent people from purchasing clothes made from recycled materials?

The main fear of people is the word “secondary”. Many people associate it with garbage or something dirty. But this is a real myth. Take at least the same discarded plastic bottles. Before turning them into recycled fleece or recycle polyester, the bottles are washed and melted into pellets under high temperatures. Or, for example, clothes in second-hand stores: they are carefully processed with special chemicals that are harmless to humans and harmful to any bacteria. So you shouldn't be afraid. It is worth becoming the people of the future - rationally consuming and rational thinking.

Your collection consists of hoodies, sweatshirts and t-shirts. Are there any plans to expand the line?

- Oh sure. In the near future we will present a new collection, which will include shirts, sweatpants, shorts, T-shirts and a new sweatshirt model. But I will make a reservation right away, we are a brand with a concept of reasonable consumption, so it is not our task to “inflate” the line. We don't want to sell more than we buy. Our goal is to do smarter analytics, meet demand and promote ethical consumption, so that more people switch to recycle clothing, as this will significantly help the planet.



How does the brand see itself in five years?

Five years later, I see a network of offline stores Lethed in Russia, regular deliveries to the CIS countries and many interesting collaborations.

By the way, recently, in collaboration with young contemporary artists: Gleb Solntsev, Evgeny Ches, Maxim Gorobets, Roman Kazus and Radik Musin (Mr. Artist), we launched a charitable social art project "Your canvas". This is one T-shirt and many colorful eco-theme patches created by artists, which can be changed and combined with each other an infinite number of times.With this project, we want to popularize contemporary art and draw attention to environmental issues. The project is already actively gaining momentum. And, by the way, everyone (not even artists!) Can take part in it. To do this, just leave a request on our website https://lethed.ru/tvoiholst. Let's take care of the future of our planet together!