In Conversation With: Wild Clouds

Wild Clouds

Wild Clouds ambition has been to create an ethical clothing brand with sustainability and accessibility at its core.They have created timeless and versatile clothing for living that creates a sense of wellbeing from one season to the next. Ethically made in the UK, using only the most sustainable materials they could find. All of their collection is vegan. Made in small batches, their supply chain is fully traceable. Franny, Wild Clouds’s Founder discusses with us why she started Wild Clouds and what the future holds for the brand.

Tell us a little about yourself, and what inspired you to create Wild Cloud

After working for many years in the fashion and retail supply chain I grew disenchanted with the throwaway culture of the fashion industry. I started changing my own buying habits for the better and soon, the day came when I couldn’t find clothing that met my sustainability standards – so I decided to make my own and that’s when Wild Clouds was born.

Combining my love of the unusual, what emerged was a collection of versatile wardrobe pieces in unique, whimsical prints. Staying true to my principles and using my 15 years of retail supply chain experience, I spent lots of time researching local production and the most planet-friendly materials out there.

What makes Wild Cloud completely different to all the other sleepwear/loungewear brands out there?

Our print concepts all start in-house, taking influence from nature and all things weird and wonderful.
Also using my supply chain and purchasing experience, I spent a lot of time deciding not only what our main fabric would be but also what trims we should use; finding out things like what is the most long lasting, the most natural, the most people and planet friendly. Our buttons are made in the UK from eco-friendly corozo nut – a sustainably harvested material that supports communities in Ecuador, and our elastic is made in Austria from organic cotton and natural rubber – it actually has a longer lifespan than conventional elastic, but eventually is biodegradable, unlike conventional polyester elastic.

Why did you use a cotton and linen blend for your products?

Our signature organic cotton and linen blend is made from naturally grown fibres that use less water than conventional cotton. Our 100% organic cotton is OCS certified (Organic Content Standard) and grown in Turkey. According to the WWF, an organically-grown cotton t-shirt uses 2,457 less litres of water than a conventionally-grown cotton tee. Our linen is also grown in Europe. Linen is made from flax, a resilient natural crop that can grow in poor soil and is typically rainfed in showery Europe. In fact, “growing flax and weaving it into linen is the least water and energy intensive part of a linen garment’s life cycle!” Most of the water usage comes from washing and ironing the linen garment, so we encourage our customers to wash their clothes sparingly on an eco wash.

Sourcing organic cotton was important to us because it isn’t grown with toxic agrochemicals. According to The Soil Association, “the water pollution impact of organic cotton has been shown to be 98% less than non-organic cotton production”. As a result, organic cotton has a much lower grey water footprint than conventional cotton, which refers to the amount of water required to dilute pollutants in order to reach water quality standards. The other benefit of organic cultivation is that it improves local soil health. Healthy soil absorbs water during floods like a sponge which is especially helpful during periods of drought.

What has been the most rewarding feedback you have received from a customer who has purchased one of your products?

I find all feedback rewarding, for a customer to take the time to give feedback (thankfully it’s always been positive) must mean the item made an impact. Hearing customers talk about the quality and uplifting prints does make the team very happy in particular.

Of the Wild Cloud products that we are featuring on myza, which is your favourite and why?

The jumpsuit is my favourite, so comfy and soft, perfect for taking me from my bed to my desk when working from home. Ultimate comfort.

Finally, a few pearls of wisdom from you! Run us through your recipe for a great night’s sleep, and some do’s and don’ts that you recommend following, or including in a pre-sleep schedule.

My perfect night’s sleep starts about 30 mins before bed, when I stop using my phone (it’s hard I know!), I’ll then make myself a cup of herbal tea and start my night time face wash and cleanse routine. In my ideal world I’ll then have freshly laundered organic cotton bed linen (and definitely a well made bed which I do every morning) and with my side lights on the bedroom looks so inviting it’s hard to resist. I’m always in a matching set of pyjamas and love a linen and cotton mix, for warmth, softness and breathability. I’ll then read for 30 minutes and by the end of a chapter barely able to keep my eyes open.

My tips for a great night sleep:
1) Wear PJs you feel good in and are breathable
2) Read or listen to an audio book, avoid being on your phone
3) Stopping drinking alcohol 3 hours before bed
4) Drink water before bed and have a glass next to your bed
5) Buy less but buy better bed linen, really good quality bed linen is a dream to sleep on. I only have 1 duvet cover / pillow set which I spent more on but is of such great quality (washing / drying it in one day is always fine).
6) keep your bedroom cool. My feet get cold in the winter so I do use a hot water bottle though.

By The Myza Editorial Team

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts