I am the weaver of a new paradigm
I remember exactly when I realised that there are no plastic-free elastic bands. I had just designed my first collection for CHARLE sustainable kids fashion. Growing with the child, sustainable, made from organic cotton. I was proud to have found a way to produce clothing that could grow with children instead of being replaced after a few months. But then the question arose:
What about the elastic bands? What are they made of?
The answer hit me like a blow: plastic. Always plastic. In every pair of eco-friendly children's trousers, in every sustainably produced skirt. I didn't want to accept that. If we take sustainable fashion seriously, we can't fail because of the invisible details. So my journey began. I spoke to ribbon weavers and asked about alternatives. And I heard the same thing over and over again:
„It's not possible. It doesn't exist."
But if there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's this: when someone tells me something can't be done, that's probably exactly what I need to do: just do it.
The path to the first plastic-free elastic band
I started researching. Natural rubber – I was familiar with the material from before – was an alternative, wasn't it? And organic cotton? Why wouldn't that work?
The first elastic band weavers I approached shook their heads. ‘Far too complicated.’ ‘Too expensive.’ ‘We can talk about it if you order a minimum of 100,000 running metres.’ 100,000 metres? I wanted to do pioneering work!
But I kept at it. I asked questions. I thought about how it could work. I found a small Austrian weaving mill that agreed to experiment with me. We tested, discarded, tested again. After six months, we held the world's first plastic-free elastic band in our hands. It was a moment I will never forget.
What began as a solution for my own fashion label soon became a vision for an entire industry. Other designers asked about it, retailers became curious. I had filled a gap in the market – without even knowing it.
Today, with CHARLE premium haberdashery, we are pioneers in plastic-free elastic bands. We supply sustainable fashion labels worldwide and support designers in developing truly circular clothing. And we are far from finished. Because my mission is bigger: I want to show that sustainable fashion is not only possible – it is the future.
