Production outside the EU

If you haven't realised it yet, you can now get the ultra-fast all-round tour. I'll endeavour to keep it short. For real this time.

I had the idea at the end of last year. There are so many branded clothes. My wardrobe is full of them. I used to practically only wear brand names. And then I started to think about it. To research, to inform myself in order to make informed purchasing decisions. And I realised that I could give away half my wardrobe if I only wanted to own vegan textiles. The fact that my Peuterey coat with rabbit fur isn't vegan is fine. I'll be ashamed of that for the rest of my life. But the fact that Ralph Lauren states that its products are not vegan threw me for a loop. After all, polo shirts were my all-day classic at the office.

What happens when I think to myself, you have to be able to do that better? I do it better.

In my search for a producer that fulfils my sustainability requirements, I was unable to find one in Europe. There were two companies from India and one from England to choose from. As I can't leave my nursing bed for health reasons, India was too far away for me. It doesn't really make a difference, I can't travel to the UK either. But the English mentality is in my blood from my mother's side. As a native speaker, I get on well with that. Whereas I can't cope with the Indian mentality. It has to be said that I have worked with more Indians (and still do) than I could list off the top of my head. Is it even okay to generalise like that or is that racist again? I don't want the AfD to get the idea of suing me for being racist. Ha, that would be it. Never mind. The Indian mentality is far too performance-orientated for me. It's always about delivering, even faster, even better, better than everyone else...

I can't stand it when suppliers explain my job to me. When it comes to worldly successes, nobody can fool me so quickly. But I am interested in other things. Reliability, integrity, enjoying what I do. Many people don't understand that. Or think it's just a phrase, empty talk. But it's not. And so I decided to leave the rather difficult communication with India - after all, cotton comes from India - to others. And so the decision was made in favour of the UK.

The result is great.

It's time to drum up some publicity, but the few customers are consistently enthusiastic about the quality. And this despite, or perhaps precisely because, all products are vegan. They are made without animal products such as colours and they are not tested on animals and are cruelty-free. The other factors such as fair working conditions, a genuine zero waste policy without greenwashing and oh, I have many, many more requirements, they all simply fit. That's why Paddy's Merch Shop produces in England.

And while we're at it, let's give the business a boost. As you know, for every item sold, 1m² rainforest in Peru protected. And for every order placed by the end of the month, I protect an additional 10m² Rainforest. Deal?

Click here to go directly to the shop: shop.paddys.com/