Verse is an empowering store and platform that focuses on the good, instead of the bad and the ugly. Born in Amsterdam in 2016, the first store was a kind of antidote to the inability to find fashion forward, well made, ethical and more responsible fashion on the traditional shopping street. Aside from fast fashion, the commercial fashion route was, at the time, struggling with changing practices to become less harmful to our environment.
Our founder ( entrepreneur Ciara Shah) saw it like an algorithm. By replacing popular categories with more sustainable options we would all be already making a large positive impact. What developed was a clear need for not only more sustainable product, but the need for supporting labels and brands founded by women, minority communities, independent fashion brands and the innovators who are pushing our industry forward. An industry which is classically one of the filthiest there is.
One of the fundaments of the brand is the intersectionality and belief that there are many factors at play in this nuanced sustainability conversation. Making it a daily progression and not a one size fits all solution.
Verse breaks down the values into 5 core areas which cover the basis of our curation. These form the basis of the word Verse ; Vegan, Ethical, Reduced Waste, Sourced Local & Eco - Friendly. We use these values to steer our over arching thoughts about brands and products. Allowing you to shop your values as well as feel styled to perfection.
Vegan
Vegan products are products which contain no animal parts or have been tested or used on any animals. We believe that animals should never be harmed or abused in our pursuit of vanity. For us this also encompasses cruelty free. We look for natural fibres such as organic cotton, hemp, linen or recycled PET fibres to fulfil this value.. Other than that are are curating innovative new materials which are plant based such as apple leather, pinatex & bio resin. We are always looking for alternatives to polyester which is highly dependant on the fossil fuel industry to produce.
Ethical
Ethical products for us mean product that should not harm the environment and should fairly support the suppliers, growers or producers associated with it. Fair trade is important for us and we either work with makers who source fairly from suppliers or are certified. In some cases where start up labels are not able to provide certification we trust their processes and enquire fully about supply chain before stocking them.
Reduced Waste
Since only around 5% of all clothing produced get's recycled we view consumption as an issue that we like to create a value for. By reducing waste through 1) recycling or 2) up cycling we curate products which are solving a waste issue that we are facing on a global scale. Our goal is to become fully circular by 2023 as a concept. We prefer labels that are creating product in zero waste packaging, all the way to recycled materials or dead stock fabrics.
Sourced Local
Carbon footprint of the fashion industry is colossal. In this sense we prefer to work with local makers, labels who also produce closer to our physical location in some cases also hand delivering reorders to us directly. We prefer to financially support local entrepreneurs who in turn reinvest in local production.
Eco - Friendly
The use of eco - friendly and significantly less impactful and harmful materials during the production process as well as the production processes themselves. This category also covers things like packaging, total general impact of the brand and more.
