Well over a year has passed since we first sat down at ATÖLYE with reflect co-founders Ece Altunmaral and Edipcan Yıldız to discuss their local, sustainable clothing brand and their commitment to social impact and activism. They’ve since come a long way and their well-received latest launch ‘Collection Zero‘ is testament to this journey.
In documenting the launch, they were kind enough to share some of their stories behind their products:
LGSM
An unlikely alliance unfolds a story of solidarity. During 1984-1985, the British government attempted the closure of mining pits, leaving miners on strike for 2 years with isolated funds for the National Union of Mineworkers. LGBT activists formed a union to support the strike: The LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) was able to raise a significant amount of funds along with reciprocal supportive visits to miner communities. The alliance proved to be an important milestone in the progression of LGBT rights in the country, as in response, the mining labour groups began to endorse LGBT rights in the parliament and participated in gay prides.
These two communities came together with solidarity and empathy. They represent how distinct communities can be in unity and how boundaries can be broken. In LGSM, the stories of their support and struggle turned into an illustration by Günbike Erdemir and sewed onto the neck label. The illustration was divided into five parts and spread around the hoodie. The symbols in the illustrations are the reflections of the solidarity movement. Some represent progress and accomplishments, some show unity and direction and some show the change of power.
SPINNING WHEEL
When Mahatma Gandhi was held a prisoner in Pune, India, he made his own thread with a portable spinning wheel. The charka evolved to become the symbol of independence, with Gandhi inspiring his people to make their own clothing instead of buying colonial clothing.
The illustration made by artist Gunbike Erdemir on the subject was embroidered on the back of the polo-neck sweatshirt. The illustration portrays Gandhi, his chakra and the revolutionary act of sewing one’s own clothes.
5
“You are the average of 5 people you spend the most time with.” Jim Rohn
The truth is, the people we surround ourselves with are able to shape us, our thoughts, our behaviours, our routines, our habits. We transform into those people we spend the most time with. Moreover, these people do not even need to be our friends, they do not even need to live. We can surround ourselves with the books, videos, music, articles of the people we want to spend time with. We sewed the number “5” as a patch on our t-shirt to always remind us of this very basic view when deciding whom we want to spend the most time with.
VALENTINA
“A bird cannot fly with one wing only. Human space flight cannot develop any further without the active participation of women.” Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina Tereshkova was born in Yaroslavl region of Russia in 1937. She was a textile factory worker and an avid skydiver. At the age of 26, Valentina became the first woman to fly in space. Having orbited Earth 48 times, Tereshkova remains the only woman ever to have been on a solo space mission.
Valentina’s name in Cyrillic alphabet was embroidered on the back of the quarter zipped sweatshirt.
261
50 years ago women were not allowed to compete in the Boston Marathon. For it was Kathrine Switzer, who in 1967 became the first woman to run Boston as a registered entrant. She lined up and completed the marathon surrounded by hundreds of men, including a race official who tried to stop her, while wearing the official bib: 261.
Switzer’s official bib number 261 was sewed as a patch on the front of the sweatshirt.
COORDINATES
On April 24, 2013, at 23°50′46′′N 90°15′27′′E in Bangladesh, a building collapsed, killing 1,138 people and injuring another 2,500. The Rana Plaza building had five garment factories all manufacturing for big global brands.
No one should die for fashion. It is an unforgettable tragedy, but an avoidable one. And it starts with you. Be curious about the story behind your clothes. Ask yourself: “Who made my clothes?”
Rana Plaza’s coordinates were embroidered on the back of the hoodie.
MANIFESTO
The Manifesto item is a reference to our 3-article brand manifesto:
What you wear tells a story:
At reflect, we believe in the power of stories that make feelings tangible and ideas memorable. Since storytelling is core to the human experience, we enrich our product designs with the stories of ideas, events, or people that inspire us. We simply build timeless narratives to take you on an engaging journey through clothes.
Radical transparency establishes trust:
At reflect, we reject to be the part of the damage that the fashion industry causes on the environment. Not only are our fabrics locally sourced, sustainably manufactured and fairly traded, but reflect is never mass-produced. We believe that radical transparency is the only way of establishing trust. Therefore, we guarantee an ethical and transparent operation from production to distribution. We also record every single step in the production process and share it with you.
Every purchase is an endorsement:
Every organization is like a living organism with its own culture, its policies and its core values. We are cultivating and endorsing them by purchasing their products or services. As customers become more aware of their own power and impact as consumers, companies are getting more inventive with adopting their business practices that encourage meaningful consumption. However, the expected overall change still has not been put into practice yet. At reflect, we believe in customers who understand that every purchase is an endorsement and seek assurance that supply chain or production is free from the terrifying realities of any human rights or environmental abuses
ZIRYAB
Ziryab (789-859) is the musician, astronomer, fashion designer and gastronome who left Baghdad for Cordoba to transform the way we eat, socialize and live. He established the first conservatoire in the world. He spread the use of tablecloth and the wearing of the white dress in summer. He introduced new culinary recipes, new tableware, new sartorial fashions and even the games of chess and polo. Ziryab, nicknamed after his melodious voice and his dark complexion, transformed the way we live, today.
Artist Günbike Erdemir’s illustration was printed on the front and back of the Ziryab t-shirt. The symbols used are abstractions relating to certain traditional and regional components: Andalusian plants, Ziryab’s guitar, architectural details, traditional tattoos of Kurdish women called the “deq”s, middle eastern carpets.
For more information on reflect, their mission, and their various products, be sure and check out their official site. You can also follow them via Instagram and Facebook.
Images courtesy of reflect.
