If you’re a regular reader of ours, I think it’s safe to assume that you dream in green. What I mean is: that you try to follow a relatively ecologically-minded lifestyle. Maybe you shop at the bio store and regularly frequent our humble natural cosmetics company. But being friendly to the environment doesn’t just go skin deep, it also covers what you use to cover up. Shopping ethically doesn’t mean you have to end up wearing a brown potato sack. Sacrificing style for sustainability is a thing of the past, and in this series, we intend to show you just that. Each time we promise to bring you a green solution that will clear your conscience, all while giving you head-turning looks.

JAN ‘N JUNE is an eco-fashion label from Hamburg. The label was founded in 2013 by Anna and Jula and is named after their respective birth months – January and June.
Their idea was to say “goodbye” to fast fashion by creating a sustainable, fair, and transparent fashion label. I spoke to Jula about the importance of sustainability in today’s consumer world and why each of us should actively contribute to a more conscious use of resources.

Hey Jula, we already know each other from the Green Fashion Show. What’s been going on with you?

JULA: A whole lot! Every year we produce two collections with about 30 pieces each. This is already quite a lot and turns out to be more than enough. It allows us to offer a good mix of reoccurring classics while still offering cool trendy pieces. So far, Jan ‘n June is only available as an online shop, but we’ve been planning pop up stores more and more. We’ll be having a pop up store in Hamburg B-Lage on the 10th, 11th, and 12th, for example.
Of course, having our own store would be amazing, but maybe not in Hamburg. Berlin has a much better prospective consumer base for a store like ours. Meanwhile, you can find our clothes hanging beautifully in small boutiques, like in Loveco in Berlin, Friedrichshain. You can also rent our clothes out from the Kleiderei.

What does sustainability mean to Jan ‘n June? What materials do you use?

JULA: Sustainability is the premise and foundation of our entire label and our materials are exclusively recycled or organically grown. The fast fashion industry has ruined the market with such cheap prices, but what is quite clear is that somewhere we are definitely paying the price for it.
You can find an Eco ID in every piece from Jan ‘n June clothing, which works just like a personal ID. It contains such information as who designed the garment, where the materials come from, when it was produced, and which resources have been recycled. Sometimes we use organic cotton, but most of our raw materials are recycled. We use items such as PET bottles, plastic rescued from the sea, old fishing nets, and melt them down and transform them into a new spool of yarn.
We never compromise. Only when we have the right materials and fabrics do we allow the designs to follow. This is all possible because we are a small label, but this kind of slow fashion is exactly what we wanted.

That means you use many artifical fibres—that doesn’t initially sound like Eco Fashion.

JULA: In my personal opinion, polyester has an undeserved bad reputation. Of course, there is the whole issue on microbeads, but our method is to reuse the material already available to us from garbage. New organic cotton isn’t a long term solution. We simply need this agricultural space for growing food. Plastic waste can be effectively reused when it is melted and then spun into yarn. Additionally, polyester and polyamide can be refined to a very high quality—the fibers are very long-lasting and, depending on the type of weave, also breathable, warming, cooling. We use this niche to our advantage.

Do you still see a prejudice against eco-fashion as lacking style?

“We say let’s make eco-fashion cool and sexy. Let’s make it black.

JULA: I can honestly say that we do not make boring fashion. We are up to date with the most current fashion trends. We always also stock basics, which compliment trendy pieces. This season, for example, everything revolves around velvet.
Even when it comes to nutrition and cosmetics, I always opt for the organic sustainable option. Nowadays, it is so easy to buy food ethically, as it is accessible and affordable. Except when you’re traveling, this will throw your eco-balance out of it’s normal cycle. I love traveling and I mostly use flying as my mode of transport. But I always try to book eco-hotels, which normally use alternative energy sources and contribute socially in some other way. Here in Hamburg I always take advantage of public transportation. It’s the least that anyone can do if they have access to a good public transit system.

What green labels can we find in your wardrobe? Favorite Label? Favorite Shop?

JULA: Loveco is a really wonderful shop and the owner is very nice. MuddJeans is a cool brand and in my opinion, you can find really stylish men’s clothing at Nudie Jeans. There are also interesting events that take place in Hamburg, such as clothing swaps that are great places to find unique pieces. Some are even organized by Greenpeace. It’s a nice change to a fleamarket. You guys probably have something similar in Berlin, right?

Let me in on your beauty secret.

JULA: Always wear lipstick! When you’re in a rush, a quick brush of color on the lips is enough to make you look put together. Oh, and your eyebrows—do not forget to take care of your eyebrows girls!

> Pictures by: Johannes Wienke