If you are an average Dane, you bought 16 kilos of clothing last year. 60% of all clothing in the EU is made from synthetic materials, and 60% ends up in nature via landfills. Studies also indicate that much of the clothing is never used. About one-third of shirts, suits, and dresses in Danish wardrobes have not been used in the past year. If we are to take sustainability seriously, we need to buy less clothing and use what we have until it is completely worn out.

“When I started BARONS in 2014, it was partly because I had a lot of shirts in my wardrobe that I didn't use. They were ones I had bought on sale in a fashionable color or with some trendy pattern. They just hung there, and I thought it was neither good for my wallet nor the environment,” says Joachim Latocha, founder of BARONS.

Joachim Latocha does not think it is fair to place the responsibility on the consumer. Companies have a significant responsibility for the throwaway culture.

“In my world, there is very little harmony between making four collections every year, new models every week, and at the same time preaching to the consumer that they should use their clothes until they are worn out. It doesn't add up. The whole problem with the traditional fashion industry is that it is completely dependent on novelties, and that the customer ultimately buys more clothes than he or she will ever use,” he says.

Environmentally Friendly Business Model

What he discovered was that he usually skipped past the fashion shirts in the closet and ended up every day with the classic white or blue shirt when he went to work. Those shirts, on the other hand, he wore out.

“Most clothing brands focus on the next collection. I decided early on that BARONS is not in the fashion industry. Period. We have one permanent collection based on four different fabric types. If you look in the catalog of some of our competitors, they have hundreds, and new shirts are constantly being added,” he says.

This means, among other things, that BARONS never overproduces. Joachim Latocha and his team never get stuck with an olive green shirt with a floral print that doesn't appeal to customers and therefore ends up on sale. It also means that BARONS can maintain a razor-sharp focus on further developing the shirts – a process that is complex and requires time.

“The most sustainable shirt is the one you wear out. And to be completely honest, you don't wear out a shirt with a floral print, even if it is in high fashion for a few months. You do, however, wear out the classic shirt,” says Joachim Latocha.

Must Be Used Many Times

Note. Update as of February 2022: Please note that since the publication of this post from January 2021, we have developed a new generation of shirts with 100% organic cotton. You can read more about this at the link and via the individual product page.

BARONS’ sustainability strategy thus begins with the production of shirts that can be used year after year. This avoids waste. However, Joachim Latocha also has an opinion on how the shirt's further life – out with the businessman – should be.

“We have a goal that our shirts should be used every day and worn out, rather than just hanging in the closet,” he says.

BARONS’ signature fabric is made from 100% organic extra long staple cotton – also known as ELS cotton – which constitutes the top 0.1% of global cotton production. The extra-long fibers mean that you can make a shirt that is both light, comfortable, and strong enough to last in the long run. If the shirt is only used 10-20 times, as fashion shirts are, the environmental equation doesn't add up.

“We will not compromise on durability and comfort,” says Joachim Latocha.

Help for the Shirt Warrior

But what if the consumer – the shirt warrior – still throws his shirt away after using it ten times?

“We are very interested in how the life of our shirts ends. We are constantly in dialogue with our customers, and therefore we know that most shirts are discarded because they are worn out, turn yellow under the arms or on the collar, or because a button falls off,” says Joachim Latocha.

The three reasons can be remedied, and therefore BARONS gives its customers good advice on how to wash gently so that the shirt does not wear out too quickly, and how to remove any yellowed stains that most shirt users have experienced. And then there's the button.

“We know that 13% of those who have experienced a button falling off throw the shirt away. Therefore, we also use a very special, patented technology to sew on our buttons. The goal is for the button to last longer than the shirt itself,” says Joachim Latocha.”

In this way, BARONS tries to ensure the shirts have a long life.

Overall, the team at BARONS is constantly focused on improving the small things in production and communication with customers that can help achieve the goal of making the shirts the most sustainable on the market, considering the number of times the businessman uses the shirt.

Mission: The Plastic-Free Shirt

Joachim Latocha also has a bigger goal. The completely plastic-free shirt. This is because 60% of all clothing in the EU ends up in a landfill. Globally, it's 80%. One of the most important things here is to refrain from using synthetic fibers in the textiles. BARONS does this. There is no mixing of any form of Spandex, elastane, or polyester in the approximately 300 grams of cotton that the shirt consists of. This is good for both the environment and the shirt's durability.

“Old clothes are one of the major culprits when it comes to microplastics. What goes into the shirt also comes out again – among other things, when it is washed or ends up in a landfill. We do not want to be the ones contributing microplastics to nature,” says Joachim Latocha.

However, BARONS’ shirts are not completely free of plastic. This is partly due to the buttons. Today, they are made of polyester, but the team at BARONS is actively looking for more sustainable alternatives. However, it is not entirely easy.

“Buttons are a good example of needing to think very carefully if you really want to be sustainable. We can find another material for the button, but what if it means they become more fragile and break or fall off. We know that some of our customers then throw the shirt away. Therefore, we are currently testing and testing how to remove the last trace of plastic from the shirt without creating a new problem with durability,” he says.