Art and material. At Hast, the whole team is crazy about clothes. Foodies? Let's say gourmets. Because in the wardrobe as in the kitchen, a good recipe is nothing without good ingredients. When it comes to the raw materials we use , the parallel with culinary art seems relevant to us: just as there are no refined dishes that do not include good products, there are no precious pieces that do not contain good materials. Since 2012, we have made it a point of honor to select the latter with care, convinced that an honest wardrobe must be so down to its very fibers.
A promise made is a promise kept.
In addition to high-end, sustainable and timeless pieces, it is accuracy and responsibility that we want to hang on the racks of our collections. For this reason, we have set ourselves a goal in the form of a promise: to use only natural or recycled materials to design our clothes. Considering that 64% of the fibers produced in the world in 2021 were synthetic, you can imagine that the challenge was not the easiest to take up. Did we succeed? The answer is yes, and our spring-summer 2023 collection can boast of being entirely natural or recycled.
Hast, iconic clothing with naturalness.
More than a choice, the fact of favoring natural materials is the reflection of our commitments in favor of an industry that is more respectful of humans and the planet . Unlike synthetic materials that are chemically manufactured, natural materials are naturally present in our environment and require less transformation. Of animal or plant origin, they have diverse and varied properties and are, overall, more eco-responsible.
Because they are a guarantee of quality and performance, we pay particular attention to the selection of our fibers at Hast. We must not forget that a textile is made up of threads, and that these threads are themselves designed from fibers. In fact, choosing the latter with care is an absolute necessity to satisfy our level of requirement on the finished product.
By (re)discovering our collections, you will notice this preponderant fraction of natural raw materials, guaranteeing comfortable, breathable, responsible and biodegradable pieces. Organic cotton , wool, linen but also ramie, hemp or silk: these are the protagonists that you will find in the five-star cast of our wardrobe.
The science of accommodating materials.
Depending on the animals or plants from which they come, natural fibers have specific properties. Thermoregulating, antibacterial and wrinkle-free, merino wool thus appears very different from linen, which is much lighter, more resistant and absorbent. By mixing the fibers at the time of spinning or by mixing the threads at the time of weaving/knitting, it is however possible to associate several raw materials to couple their potentialities . From then on, the possibilities are endless and allow us to imagine extraordinary natural alloys.
At Hast, we value this work of inventiveness and ingenuity. Eager to share the benefits of the materials we select with you, we have become accustomed to imagining bold blends where each fiber expresses itself in its own way.
Featured in our Spring-Summer 2023 collection, the cotton/linen combination perfectly illustrates this technical and creative ambition: by combining the elasticity and softness of the former with the robustness and rusticity of the latter, we obtain a fabric with a unique grain, at once supple, comfortable and durable. For the same combination, the proportions can also vary to emphasize the characteristics of a particular fiber. For example, our tailored jacket in 51% linen and 49% cotton has a drier hand and a more pronounced relief than our T-shirts made from a 70% cotton and 30% linen canvas.
Cotton/linen, cotton/linen/ramie, cotton/hemp, wool/silk: you will find these unique combinations by going green in the expanse of our wardrobe. Often original, sometimes disconcerting, always effective, they deliver unique textures and performances that we encourage you to experiment with in addition to your single-material pieces.
A word about recycled materials.
At Hast, our commitment is clear: to create exceptional clothing for your everyday life , made in Europe and only in natural or recycled materials . Alone or mixed, we have just mentioned the natural fibers used to make our pieces. So we still have to say a word about those that allow us to keep our promise of responsibility: recycled materials.
As you might expect, some clothing and accessories have conditions of use that make it difficult to use plant fibers. Swimsuits, for example, cannot be made from cotton or linen for obvious reasons. To stick to 100% natural or recycled materials in our collections, we had to rack our brains to keep this piece in our summer wardrobe . Finally, we managed to source a Seaqual-certified recycled polyester, a label guaranteeing that its supply comes from ocean waste (fishing nets, plastic bottles and other debris collected in the oceans).
Like the recycled wool previously used on our round-neck winter sweater or on our work jacket, this strong choice reflects a firm desire to limit our environmental impact - as it is true that the material that pollutes the least is the one that already exists. In an industry that recycles less than 20% of its materials, it seemed essential to us to move forward on this issue. The circular economy and the revaluation of materials being two major ecological issues, we intend to reserve a place for them in our wardrobe.
Some advantages of natural materials.
Behind the label of our clothes, there is an authentic quest that we have been leading for 10 years: the search for the best possible material. If we make a point of honor to work with natural fibers, it is less for the pleasure of announcing it than for their innumerable virtues:
- They are significantly softer than their synthetic counterparts . In direct contact with the skin, the hypoallergenic properties of cotton, wool, linen or hemp are ideal for sensitive skin.
- They have proven themselves in terms of durability . Anyone who has ever opened their grandparents' cupboard knows: well-maintained, high-quality natural materials have an exceptional life expectancy.
- They take the light beautifully. Due to the structure of their fibers and their arrangement, natural materials offer sublime colors whose depth is incomparable with the artificial shine of synthetic textiles.
- The drape is clearly more natural . If you compare two jackets cut identically, you will notice after a few wears that the general appearance of the first (worked in natural material) is much purer than that of the second (worked in synthetic material). One being alive and the other inanimate, it is normal that their expressions differ on this point.
- They are the result of sustainable production processes . We strive to select labeled fibers, guaranteeing cultivation, breeding and harvesting conditions that respect humans and the environment. For example, 25% of our cotton shirts are GOTS certified, a label that guarantees cotton from organic farming and ensures an ecological and socially responsible production method. The same goes for our linen labeled "European Flax" or our wools certified "GRS". Add to this the fact that 100% of our fabrics are made in Europe, you will understand how much care we take in sourcing the materials that we offer you.
- They are easier to recycle and revalue . Natural materials can be easily transformed into new fabrics when they are single-material or mixed, as they are easier to “defiberize”.
- They do not pollute . Unlike synthetic clothing that releases microplastics with each wash, natural materials are biodegradable, ecological and do not contaminate wastewater.
A declaration of intent
As a brand, we have an essential role to play: to inform you about the composition and manufacture of your clothes as well as about the future of these and the elements that compose them. We are fully aware of this and are also convinced of the need to introduce a new way of producing. Healthier, more reasonable, more sustainable and ethical. At Hast, this conviction is translated at the level of raw materials by a meticulous and attentive selection. Without losing sight of the objective of offering you a high-end wardrobe and without compromising the stylistic identity that characterizes us, we develop 100% of our clothes in natural or recycled materials to satisfy our ambitions of responsibility.
In the inflationary context that you know, this commitment has a cost that would dissuade many; but at the same time it reflects values that, for us, are priceless. It is this, again, that gives Hast its special place in the ecosystem: that of an honest and committed brand, conscientiously and responsibly producing valuable clothing to dress your lives. Clothing that is just right to wear.
