Recycled packaging for recycled fashion: Purye Clothing

Two friends, a common dream of owning a fashion brand, a little bit of luck and lots of hard work. The result is a Finnish brand called Purye Clothing, a company that recycles old sails and turns them into tote bags and sports bags. These products, praising the eco-friendly & upcycling principles, are delivered to customers in branded, sustainable boxes.

The beginnings of Purye Clothing

Purye Clothing has been established by two friends - Niklas and Jon. The two met back in high school and dreamt of their own company ever since.

“We started the company at the age of 19. Jon has been working a lot with smaller clothing projects, such as prints on t-shirts, re-selling fashion etc., while Niklas is currently studying in a university and business school where he is focusing more on marketing and leading. We grew up in entrepreneurial families which gave us great values and grounds. Both of us have been dreaming of our own clothing brand and that’s where Purye Clothing came to a natural beginning.”

There are many products that can be further re-used or recycled, but only a few serve a better example than sails. The white pieces of material land in trashcans in good shape. Niklas and Jon saw that as a brilliant chance for upcycling. Each one of these materials carries a story and Purye Clothing is a way of continuing these sailing tales.

“Purye Clothing gives old sails a second life. We heard that sails that cannot be used in sailing any more are dumped. Even when the material is clean and in a good shape, it gets thrown away, and only because it’s no longer being used for its initial purpose.”

Purye Clothing based its product on an uncanny observation. Niklas and Jon saw an opportunity for waste optimization on a local scale.

“Today we’re producing different kinds of products of recycled sails, including tote bags, weekend bags and anoraks. We don’t strive to become a globally known brand, but, rather than that, we look for a more socially aware role here, in our local market. You could say that Purye Clothing is for everyone whose heart beats to the archipelago.”

Developing the product of Purye Clothing

The fascination with sailing isn’t the only reason why Purye Clothing was established. Niklas and Jon, still very young, wanted to follow careers in the fashion industry. 

“Me and Jon, we think in the same way and are both absolutely thrilled about fashion,” explains Niklas. “Our goal was to create products that we love ourselves, and thereafter hope that others will love them too. We believe that fashion doesn’t have to be complicated either. These white pieces of material are ideal - clean, high-quality and ageless.”

Each sail comes with a rough texture, thanks to the hundreds of hours spent in exposure to sun, wind and salt water. These factors imbue each product of Purye Clothing with something special. 

“When we get an idea for a piece of clothing or accessory, we sketch a picture of it and pass on the details to our designer/seamster, Janne. We are in a great relationship with her and this helps us to get exactly the product we have in mind.”

Purye Clothing Packaging

An eco-friendly product required clothing packaging that would look attractive, but - most importantly - comply with the company's upcycling idea.

The boxes of Purye Clothing are made from recycled cardboard. The imprint is fairly simple - the brand’s logo is printed on top of each box, and the website address on the front side.

It was, however, the ease of delivery combined with a premium character of these boxes that encouraged Niklas and Jon to order mailer boxes. In the e-commerce model of Purye Clothing, a reliable delivery solution was outweighed by a fancy, complicated packaging design.

“We wanted the packaging of Purye Clothing to make our customers feel the tingling of excitement when their package arrives. Mailer boxes do that. They also keep our bags and other products neat & tidy inside. It’s super easy to send or give our products to the customers.”

An eco feeling of the boxes makes them perfectly fit for the whole concept of the brand. Just like the upcycling idea of sails turned into clothes and bags, the recycled cardboard shows an eco-friendly side of Purye Clothing.

“What else can we say? We love these Purye Clothing boxes, but most importantly, our customers do!”