In the interview series "in the spotlight," we talk to entrepreneurs within the textile industry. What is their story and what keeps them busy in a time of contingent developments within the sector.

This time we speak with Sara Jochemsen of the Dutch children's clothing brand Fossy Fashion. Sara came up with a unique design for a baby jacket that is easy to put on.

How did Fossy Fashion start?

When my son was born in the fall, I often had to squeeze his little arms through the sleeves of a winter jacket. Quite a struggle which made me think 'there must be another way'. However, I couldn't find an easier jacket anywhere, so I started thinking about a design myself. With my background in fashion and children's clothing, I had a good idea of what to look for. A year later I had designed a nice jacket that is easy to close, by means of 2 zippers that run from the sleeves along the side of the body. This way you can unzip the jacket, put your baby on it and easily zipper the jacket up again.

Reshaping Fashion

After the development of the model was finished, I delved further into production. The most important thing was: production in a responsible way. We succeeded by working with a very nice atelier in Amsterdam, where people with a distance to the labor market work and by thinking about all the details. For example, we chose buttons that are certified in connection with baby safety and labels and hangtags that are also made in a responsible manner. The biggest challenge here was finding the right partners. EE labels and Fossy have a shared mission in terms of our take on sustainability, and so I see them as a great partner. Fossy stands for Reshaping Fashion. This is reflected in 2 ways. Literally, through a new fit. But also through my view of the fashion industry. Fossy goes for slow fashion instead of fast fashion.

A second chance with a QR label

When the product was ready, I went a step further, how do we ship our products, and what materials do we use to package it. And when the product is no longer used, what happens to it? That's why all jackets contain a label with a QR code. Scanning this QR code takes the user to the 'second chance' page of the website and they can sell the item back to us, after which I then offer it as a second-hand item. Fossy Fashion is not yet fully sustainable, but every decision we make is one step closer to that.

Curious about all the possibilities of a QR label? You can read more about it here.