#Intro

The seed that was planted

Years ago I traveled to Indonesia, the country my father is from. There I saw up close how products are made for the other side of the world. For us.

Not long after that, I watched the documentary ‘The True Cost’ about the fashion industry. For the first time, I stopped to think about questions I had never really considered before. Where does clothing actually come from? Who makes it? And how can some products be so cheap?

I didn't have an answer right away. But the questions didn't go away either.

#The Beginning

A question that kept coming back

In the years that followed, I worked in various supply chain roles. Not within fashion, but in environments where products, processes and chains were central.

That taught me how complicated it is to make something well. How many choices precede it, and how many people are involved.

At the same time, I kept following the fashion industry.

The more I learned about production and supply chains, the less I understood why clothing could be so cheap. Because if so much work, knowledge and people lie behind every product, how can a t-shirt sometimes cost less than ten euros?

That question kept coming back.

#The Decision

Time to try it myself

There was no single big moment when everything fell into place.

It was more an accumulation of things I saw, read and learned. Over the years, the question slowly changed from "why does it work this way?" to "how would I do it myself?"

At some point I decided to stop just thinking about it, and actually try it.

Not because I thought I had all the answers. Quite the opposite.

But because I was curious what choices I myself would make. Which materials I would choose. Who I would want to work with. How transparent I would actually dare to be. And whether it's possible to make clothing that lasts, without compromising on the people who make it.

That's how Fels came to be.

#The First Steps

Starting with one shirt

As Fels began to take shape, we deliberately chose not to launch a large collection.

A t-shirt seemed like the best place to start. Not a complete collection, but one product we could give all our attention to.

Fels.01 and Fels.02 are the first products that emerged from that search.

We spent a lot of time on development, because we wanted to understand which choices truly contribute to a better product.

#What We Learned

Work in progress

During the development of the first products, we discovered that some things look simpler than they are.

That gave us a few insights that still guide the choices we make today.

  • Making good clothing takes time.
  • ‘Being transparent’ is easier said than done.
  • Sometimes the perfect choice doesn't exist.
  • Starting small is often the best way to build something.
  • We're still learning every day.

#Be The Change

The name Fels is my surname, given to me by my father.

He is no longer here, but one lesson still stays with me: good begets good.

I carry that thought with me every day in the choices I make. In how I work with people, how I look at production, and what choices I make while building Fels.

I don't think one brand changes the fashion industry. But I do believe change starts with the choices you make yourself.

Be The Change.