Closing the circle

Looking after the environment and making the planet a better place. This is the aim of these fashion, accessories and home decor shops and brands that are committed to real sustainability. It can all be summed up in two words: reusing and reclaiming.

Meeting current needs without compromising those of future generations is what sustainability is all about. The word isn’t a metaphor, but a life philosophy that emphasises the protection of biodiversity through simple actions that are within everyone’s reach. Reducing waste, recycling, choosing to consume local products and even walking more are the small things that help us live a better life. And we can do all of them in Madrid! Here, a growing number of businesses are specialising in giving a second life to clothing and other items or the materials they are made with. Before or after you wander round our parks on foot or by bike, discover local flavours in the municipal markets, or soak up some history and tradition at any of the city’s artisan workshops, consider making a visit to these shops where you’ll be surprised by their firm commitment to making responsible shopping their hallmark.

ECOALF

Mejía Lequerica, 2. ALONSO MARTÍNEZ. Tel. 91 737 41 08

“We believe good design doesn’t look either old or new; it’s simply a bridge between the past and the future”. This is the motto of a “truly sustainable” brand that began its life in Madrid and now has retail outlets all over the world. The epicentre of its universe is the flagship store in Santa Bárbara Palace, in the neighbourhood of Las Salesas, where you’ll find everything from mannequins made from bio-resins and organic materials to courtyards full of plants that encourage us to reflect on the future of the planet. Recycled nylon from fishing nets, plastic bottles and spent coffee grounds are used to make jackets, backpacks, coats, T-shirts and more. The company has just opened a new shop (No. 259E Paseo de la Castellana), its first with zero CO2 emissions, which has terracotta to regulate the heat and humidity, wooden beams from Spanish forests, and solar panels.

PESETA

Huertas, 37. ANTÓN MARTÍN. Tel. 91 052 59 71

“A female-owned, egalitarian, conciliatory and hedonist company that makes sustainable fashion with respect, and at our own pace”... So, what does that mean? They tell us themselves: “Our own pace means finding joy in what we do and working at our own speed, without being tied to the seasonality imposed by traditional fashion, or its ways of doing things and interacting with customers. The respect is for the people and material involved in the creative and productive processes”. Their shop in Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter) is full of clothing and accessories that are “beautiful inside and out, in a literal and metaphorical sense”. Everything you see is made in Spain and Portugal, in local workshops by people who they actually know: “For us, it’s essential to know the names of those who sew our garments”. The brand’s idea is to create lasting pieces: “We love taking things slowly”.

THE CIRCULAR PROJECT

Ventura Rodríguez, 22. VENTURA RODRÍGUEZ. Tel. 91 340 89 38

The Circular Project is a pioneering initiative due to the holistic, comprehensive way it approaches working with fashion as part of a greater social, ecological and economic whole. The shop, a stone’s throw away from Plaza de España, brings together brands linked by their eagerness to transform the industry to achieve a model with greater respect for people and their environment. They have all been officially certified to offer customers traceability and ensure fair, sustainable, green trade. The initiative aims to foster all aspects of ecological design, from production to sales. In their own words, “We seek fashion made from materials that, at the end of their lifetime, can be returned to nature without causing any harm; materials that can be reused, recycled and optimised”.

HEMPER

Calle Lope de Vega, 26. Tel. 681 058 323

A regenerative project. That’s what this company headquartered in Malasaña is. Hemper makes backpacks and bags from natural fibres like hemp, wool and cotton, from places as remote as India and Nepal. All of the brand’s pieces are made on handlooms with natural dyes, and artisanal techniques are used for the finishing touches (embroidery, crochet, macramé, etc.).

HECHO

Quesada, 2. IGLESIA

This shop next to Plaza de Olavide sells “honest items”, or rather, decorative pieces and everyday utensils whose background⁠—what they are made from and how, where and by whom they were made⁠—is made clear to us. Behind the seeming simplicity of its dishes, vases, tables, rugs, lamps and other items, is the work of designers and artisans with very specific ideas. Sustainability is not a goal but a responsibility.