I featured a then new brand called Neem London in August 2020 and reported on their sustainability credentials. It's always interesting to follow up new businesses after a short while to see how they're doing. I met founder, Nick Reed, to catch up and to hear how he has been pursuing his aim of heading up an environmentally viable menswear brand (links below).
GF: Nick, we last featured Neem here on the blog over 21 months ago - remind us please what Neem represents and what the brands' values and aims are.
NR: We are firmly focused on three things:
Firstly, to try and create the lowest emitting men's shirt in the world, we use a 50% recycled cotton blend with a 50% organic cradle to gate assessment on that product and we know that it emits about 50% less than a normal cotton shirt.
Secondly, we want to create a product with little waste as possible both in the design, production and post-consumer phase. We use technology to facilitate this and once the consumer has worn out a product we can recycle it through the supply chain that we've built both here in the UK and in the EU. In this way we are actually a textile waste collector and we will take back and recycle any men's brand clothing in any condition.
Thirdly, we want to create a style that is smart, elegant, mature yet extremely comfortable - a post pandemic style that can be worn to the office and looks elegant whilst retaining a strong environmental ethos.
We track a product right back to spinner and in some cases even farm and this allows us to run full life cycle assessments on the product, so we know exactly the emissions of what we're producing. We're of course carbon neutral.
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| Wearing a Neem Light Grey Flannel Overshirt |
GF: Nick, we last featured Neem here on the blog over 21 months ago - remind us please what Neem represents and what the brands' values and aims are.
NR: We are firmly focused on three things:
Firstly, to try and create the lowest emitting men's shirt in the world, we use a 50% recycled cotton blend with a 50% organic cradle to gate assessment on that product and we know that it emits about 50% less than a normal cotton shirt.
Secondly, we want to create a product with little waste as possible both in the design, production and post-consumer phase. We use technology to facilitate this and once the consumer has worn out a product we can recycle it through the supply chain that we've built both here in the UK and in the EU. In this way we are actually a textile waste collector and we will take back and recycle any men's brand clothing in any condition.
Thirdly, we want to create a style that is smart, elegant, mature yet extremely comfortable - a post pandemic style that can be worn to the office and looks elegant whilst retaining a strong environmental ethos.
We track a product right back to spinner and in some cases even farm and this allows us to run full life cycle assessments on the product, so we know exactly the emissions of what we're producing. We're of course carbon neutral.
You don't have to sacrifice style to be sustainable, we come from a position that if we all make better choices from the moment you wake up for the moment we go to bed we can reduce our overall emissions.
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| Wearing Neem Recycled Sky Dobby Popover Shirt |
GF: Are you offering an identifiable style? What market are you appealing to?
NR: We're appealing to 40 plus year olds who want to be smart yet elegant but care about the impact that having on the climate.
For example, our ZQ Merino has been tested for biodegradation, we use recycled thread, fusing, buttons, and recycled labels
The market is the work market that is now prepared to dress down. whilst being smart and comfortable.
For example, our ZQ Merino has been tested for biodegradation, we use recycled thread, fusing, buttons, and recycled labels
The market is the work market that is now prepared to dress down. whilst being smart and comfortable.
GF: In a market where many brands are claiming sustainable credentials, often with dubious credibility, how do you stand out and show what the brand offers in these terms?
NR: We've gone quite deep; we’re using a recycled cotton blend of 50% which is extremely high.
We’ve run cradle to grave lifecycle assessments on our products (so we are carbon neutral), we're in touch with the maker, the weaver, the spinner and look for end of run exclusive weaves and knit constructions. Our ZQ Merino I believe is the world's most ethical world it's grown under regenerative farming practices and can be traced back to farms in New Zealand
We’ve run cradle to grave lifecycle assessments on our products (so we are carbon neutral), we're in touch with the maker, the weaver, the spinner and look for end of run exclusive weaves and knit constructions. Our ZQ Merino I believe is the world's most ethical world it's grown under regenerative farming practices and can be traced back to farms in New Zealand
GF: What products have you developed since we last covered the brand?
NR: We’re focused on tops, shirts and T shirts and we'll support that with jackets within the next few months. We’re also selling our neck scarves rather well and will be adding some recycled cotton baseball caps (it amazes me how many are polyester) in June.
GF: What is coming in the future for Neem?
NR: We're launching a pop up in October and you'll see more jackets and outerwear come into the collection for next winter. Our core products are the T shirt and overshirt.
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