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Blue Banana and its traveling X shirts that help the planet

2022-06-08T10:35:29.188Z


The company of two school friends designs and sells sustainable clothing made in Asia and Europe and has managed to make its carbon footprint negative


Their t-shirts and sweatshirts, recognized by the X symbol, aim to convey experiences.

"Our goal is to show how the new generations can get out of the monotony of everyday urban life and how their life can be an adventure," explain Juan Fernández-Estrada and Nacho Rivera, founders of Blue Banana.

The adventure of these two entrepreneurs began six years ago, when they were both in their first year of Business Administration.

Friends since school, from the beginning they had few resources and a lot of desire.

With just 3,000 euros of investment they came up with the idea of ​​buying t-shirts and sweatshirts in Portugal that they sold to friends and acquaintances.

It was the first step of an extraordinary climb.

They currently have more than 200 references with models of swimsuits, coats, a line for women and another for children, which they launched a year ago.

The unusual thing is that they have built their catalog without external investment, only with their own resources.

“From the beginning we were profitable, so we have not needed rounds of financing.

We have reinvested and it has been enough”, emphasizes Fernández-Estrada.

A strategy that, in his words, may have meant less growth for the brand: “Furthermore, the first two years we went slowly, we were still studying, we had little experience and we were like a headless chicken.

As of 2018 we dedicate ourselves fully to the company”, adds Rivera.

Despite everything, its growth has been very fast in view of the turnover: in 2021 they entered 7.4 million euros, with forecasts of exceeding 10 million in 2022. Of this figure, 78% comes from digital sales and the rest from physical stores.

The opening of stores began in December 2020 and they already have three, in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

“They are all profitable.

We decided to open them after four years working for the brand and with the support of a very powerful clientele.

We are not starting from scratch,” says Fernández-Estrada.

With these openings, the founders trust that the establishments will soon account for 40% of the box.

But they continue with the same philosophy of going step by step, consolidating each decision they make.

“They tell us that we could go faster, but we don't want to.

We prefer to go slowly

next challenges

With their team of 49 people, Rivera and Fernández-Estrada say they feel safe and capable of achieving very ambitious challenges.

"We believe that in the coming years we can grow a lot."

A growth that has its argument in countless projects, such as the opening of a new store in Seville, a second in Madrid and three more pending confirmation.

Selling its products in multi-brand stores, especially outside of Spain, and beginning its expansion in Latin America are other objectives.

They are committed to reinforcing electronic sales both in Spain and abroad, where they already have a presence in France, Germany and Portugal, and make launches such as backpacks or slippers.

For this year they pose a challenge that they speak with special enthusiasm.

“We want to align ourselves with brands that have values ​​similar to ours.

We have started with Canon, which is going to sponsor us a series of ecological trips where we will explain how it is possible to travel without leaving an environmental footprint”, says Rivera.

Blue Banana has made its carbon footprint negative by investing the equivalent of twice its emissions in environmental projects endorsed by the United Nations.

"We were not born sustainable, but two years ago we decided to manufacture with environmentally friendly fabrics," explains Fernández-Estrada.

They use organic cotton in 95% of their garments and other fabrics that come from algae, nettles or hemp.

The padding in their coats, for example, is made from recycled Thermolite, which is created from waste.

Their garments come from Asia and Europe.

But, as they say on their website, they don't think it's something negative.

“We work with the best factories in Spain and Portugal, but we also have excellent collections that come from China, Bangladesh and Turkey.

In each country we work with companies that ensure the safety of their workers.


Source: elparis

All business articles on 2022-06-08

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