RESPONSIBILITY
The inspiration for Forét grew from the soil of our love for nature. The Forét brand — from the name itself to the mantra of slowing down — is inextricably linked to the natural world.
It follows, then, that we strive to be a pivotal part of the change towards a more responsible future — a change that is no less than essential in the fashion industry. To do so, we keep a close eye on every side of our business, streamlining and developing each part in a responsible way so as to provide slow goods for your journey.
There is a responsibility inherent in creating clothes: it’s never as simple as the clothing itself. When we began producing clothing, we understood quickly that we were part of a value chain made up of actions and decisions that have a major impact on our planet.
For us, responsibility is a force of good pushing us towards being equally a better social actor in society as well as building a better business. It’s crucial to the Forét mentality that we keep taking the necessary steps and decisions towards becoming a responsible industry.
In order to do so, we work within 4 main pillars that would hold up our promise of becoming the most responsible brand that we can be.
COMMUNITY
We are a part of society and as a company, we use money and resources on raising a voice. Marketing and communication are obviously a way to recruit new customers and awareness which is crucial in developing both a brand and a business.
However, having a voice also highlights a responsibility. We care about what we share. We want to be your friendly reminder to go outside.
It’s more than just a cheeky tagline. It’s a way of living that we live and breathe because of the impact it has on our minds. It’s our core DNA that is integrated into everything we do. It represents a mindset that we want to push forward as a counterbalance to the modern era of unlimited information, social sharing and an always-on mentality.
Slowing down and embracing the solitude of a walk in the woods offers more than just silence. It’s a place for reflection and perspective. It’s not the opposite of modern life in the city but rather quite the contrary. Studies show, that spending more time in nature actually makes us more productive and balanced in our everyday lives.
That’s why we want to be “Your friendly reminder to go outside”.
“Jesper and I both grew up in a small town, in a time with no cellphones, internet, and social media. Our upbringing and memories were strongly rooted in nature as a space for both creativity and living.
Nature became a pivotal foundation in our personal DNA and continues to be an extended part of our lives. From day one, Forét was about celebrating these virtues and values in a new digital always-on era. To find silence in the noise and remember “the real life” outside of the city.
We believe that we as a brand can make a difference and influence how we live our lives - both now and in the future. We want to inspire to go outside and do what life is all about - creating those valuable experiences and memories.”
- Jeppe Meier, co-founder.
DESIGN
forét covers all sides of the contemporary wardrobe. It’s in this variety and versatility that the true appeal of our brand can be found. Our approach to our design is based on multipurpose. We want to create clothing that you can use both in the office and in the woods. Styles and pieces that work across time, occasion and purpose.
We strive to focus on timelessness and less on the current zeitgeist. We still have some bold choices of garments and colours, but they are accompanied by classics inspired by utility wear and Scandinavian minimalistic design. In our design process, we seek to bridge the qualities of function, aesthetics and comfort.
Ultimately, the most important thing is that we make products that our customers love - season after season. The balance of both durability and do-ability. Products they want to use for a long time in respect of the garment and it’s a long way into the hands of our customers.
"Our design philosophy is classic and based on modern originals. Our clothes are functional, and simplistic, designed to function on both workdays in the city and weekends in nature.
Our dogma has always been to build on existing styles and to perfect them with new details, stitching, components, and fabrics. We create timeless silhouettes, using carefully selected premium fabrics and paying close attention to every aspect of our products.
We remain focused on keeping our collections small, cutting down to the essentials, and creating only products that will remain relevant not only now, but also for many years to come."
- Jesper Finderup, co-founder.
FABRICS
The fashion industry as a whole has a lot to work on. We will not try to fool anyone. What we are doing is not sustainable by default, due to the fact that we produce garments that have an impact on the environment. What we are trying to do is minimise our impact by constantly doing better across our entire supply chain.
One of the main polluters is the fibre-production process. That means that picking the right fabrics is one of the most important factors in how sustainable our collections are, also determining the lifetime and potential disassembly of a garment once its life is over. In line with this, we always strive to use mono-fibre fabrics so that our pieces can be recycled at the end of their lifetime.
It is also important for us that the vast majority of our responsibly sourced fabrics are certified by third-party standards.
PRODUCTION
Massive energy consumption, water & chemical use, and carbon emissions are just a few of the things that make the production process of clothing so harmful to the environment. That’s not to mention the human impact up and down unethical production chains. Since the first conversation that we had about Forét, when it was still an idea, we knew that we would prioritise suppliers and manufacturing within the EU. This allows us to be closer to our products so that our collections rack up fewer air miles as well as allowing us to be sure of who we’re working with.
97% of our production happens in Europe and we ensure quality standards by working closely with third-party offices. That said, as our offering expands, we recognise the benefits of producing specific garments in areas that excel in those fields.
For example, this year we’ve added technical jackets to the Forét repertoire. During 2022, we began to produce these items in China, a place with unrivalled experience in producing this type of product. Despite our production moving further away for these items, our focus on ensuring the best working conditions remains unchanged, therefor are all of them GRS-certified.