Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct

House of Horses Helsinki is proud to collaborate with people who share our values about human rights and the environment. We work with manufacturers from Turkey, China, Poland and Lithuania. Most of the factories have BSCI certificates and most are small family companies with the same passion like we do - creating long lasting fashion for customers to enjoy.

Our strategy is to avoid fast fashion by creating pieces that become our customer´s favorite outfits. We are animal lovers which is why we don’t want to use real down or fur, but our other options don’t compromise the quality. Our merino wool in Australian merino wool and mulesing free.

Due to the fact that we have an ongoing collection (not changing every season) we are able avoid waste production. Additionally, we don’t have sales as we don’t want to encourage people to buy clothes they don’t actually need.

We appreciate nature and want to be part of the sustainable society by making small gestures towards it every day, though we are not a completely sustainable brand yet.

We hope that also in the future we are able to go to the forests with our furry friends and enjoy the nature with them <3

 

 HoH <3 Eco Conscious

SUSTAINABLE FASHION

 We definitely hear the word sustainability more often in our daily life, and we try to help our Planet Earth even with tiny little actions. 

There are no such small steps to being an eco-friendly shopper, and each step counts. Always remember even small changes, can have a big impact. 

 You can support sustainable fashion without sacrificing your style. So here are steps to help you start being an eco-conscious fashionista: 

 

1. DO YOU REALLY NEED THAT? OR DO YOU JUST WANT IT?

One of the best ways to support the environment is to minimize the unnecessary consumption and only to buy what you need. 

Do not be a fast-shopper! Buy ethically. And always remember to select quality over quantity! 

Avoid buying things you’ll throw away next season, but buy garments which will accompany you for many memories and seasons!

 

2. ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS

 Always check the material your clothing is made from. Check the composition details in the care label. Think more about the fabric used in your clothing and prefer natural fabrics.

 Don’t forget, the fabrics which is not good for the environment are not good for you as well!

 Earth lover fabrics are; Bamboo, Linen, Monocel, Tencel, Cupro, Econyl and Organic Cotton!

Always prefer Organic Cotton instead of Cotton, which is a very thirsty fabric.

Synthetic fibers which we need to stay away from (as possible) are; Polyester, Elasthan and Lycra. 

Please  beware we can’t avoid these fabrics totally, but we should prefer less of them in our casual clothing. For sportswear and outerwear most of the garments generally contain synthetic fibers since the characteristics of these yarns such as water repellency and durability. But why wear a polyester dress or underwear? 

Also to have small percentage of polyester in some cases makes the fabric more durable and time resistant so our garment can “live longer”, which is definitely an environmental choice!

As HOH we care to avoid polyester in casual wear, and we mainly use cotton in our casual products.

 

3. CHECK THE CARELABELS

It is very important to care for the garments we own! 

First thing to do for that is to care them with caution. 

Do you know we can make our clothes last longer (around 50 - 80% of its lifespan) if we wash them according to their care label. 

If we treat the garments right, wash them correct and treat them with care not only we extend the life of our wardrobe but we also help second hand buyers to get a good cared item.  

 

4. PREFER ETHICAL AND TRANSPARENT BRANDS 

Follow your favorite brands, and prefer the ones who are being transparent about their processes. 

The brands who share their stories with you openly are the best brands to buy from! 

Be a conscious customer and ask yourselves, where are your clothes made and under which conditions? 

Being an open brand is the first step for all brands towards an eco-forward industry. 

It is very crucial to notice the ethical and transparent brands, and applaud them. 

We need to support these brands which acknowledge sustainability not just as a trending topic but a core art of their business.

For example, there are many brands using 100% recycled tag; which means the garment is 100% recycled;  while only the fabric is recycled but there are metal or plastic accessories within the garment. And the customers are being deceived with this 100% recycled tag. 

While mentioning transparency, we need to talk about Greenwashing as well: 

GREENWASHING

Greenwashing is the process of providing misleading information on a company’s environmental processes with deceiving the consumers. Just like our example above about the tags!

Sustainable Fashion & Being Eco-Friendly are popular terms nowadays, therefore many companies aim to catch consumers using these trendy topics, even if it is only a marketing strategy. 

European Union declares that 40-50% the companies which claim to be Environmentally Friendly in fact are not, but they are greenwashing.

As a conscious customer, we need to be alert on genuine brands who claim with facts more than stories.

 

5. SELL, CYCLE AND RENT

 

Repair:

You can always fix and repair your items for a longer lifetime. Stretch the life of your wardrobe by repairing your favorite clothes.

 

Sell: 

If you want to clean out your closet but your garments are still in good condition to wear, give them a second life! You can either sell or donate them.

 

Recycle / Upcycle:

There are many possible places which collect clothes which are in bad condition and recycle them. Many big brands have promotions if you donate your second hand clothing into their recycle bins to be recycled. Find the one spot in your neighborhood which has bins and help your garments turn into something useful for future lifespans.

But cycling is not only limited with recycling nowadays, there are many ways of reusing your clothes. One of my favorites is upcycling.

Upcycling is the process of transforming your unwanted products to something useful, purposeful for the user. Like upcycling your old shirt into a bag, or your t-shirt into a tank top as well! This also brings out your creativity as well!

Rent:

Do you ever wonder why we only buy some dresses to wear just once? It might be a very special event, and yes we all did it, just bought that dress for one event and still keeping it hence the value. It may be a designer item which you only wore handful of times as well. Well renting applications or sites are here to help us all, both us and the environment. 

Renting is both budget friendly and environmental friendly. So we all should consider it more often. 

 

Written by Senem Arat Murat