One Year of WILD with WILD FABRIK

It’s been a year since WILD FABRIK has opened its digital doors. We’ve had ups and downs, as everyone does (particularly in these Corona times). We’re proud to have taken part in movements to help fight against climate change, and bring awareness to new people and new places. We’ve talked about our own experiences with opening our eyes to environmental protection, and why we think everyone should start thinking in the same way. And we've brought some truly stunning fashion to the sustainable buying board.

The past year has brought us a lot of insight. There's been a lot of change within our team, especially as everything around us changes. Some things still remain the same: our founders are still passionate about providing better, more sustainable options in fashion. Their realization that sustainability is the future was like most everyone's: slow in starting.

I think a lot of us tend to gloss over thoughts like this as something that we can't do much about. We're only one person, after all, and we have our own day-to-day worries. It's only after pushing past those thoughts and thinking about how to minimize our own footprint that Gergana and Reine came together to start WILD FABRIK.

It might seem like a big step, and that's because it was a big step. And every day, that step gets a little bit bigger.

Why did you start WILD FABRIK?

We wanted to be a driving force to help people wake up to the whole sustainable idea. In popular media, being sustainable wasn't something that looked fashionable or good. We thought that might be off-putting for a lot of people, because it was off-putting for us, too.

Fashion is an important part of our image - not just for others, but for ourselves. We want to feel good in what we wear because we like how we look AND because it's good for the environment. We don't believe that they're mutually exclusive.

Over the past year, we've been fighting to raise awareness for brands that work hard to make ethically-sourced, sustainable products. We're currently partnered with over 50 of these brands: everything from fashion to skincare to lifestyle products. Fashion was our gateway into the WILD, but we add to it to make for a perfect sustainable lifestyle.

It's been one year of WILD FABRIK, and we still have lots more in the future. But we want to take a look also at what we've been doing.

What we've been doing...

It's been a busy year for us! We started with around 30 brands under our umbrella, and increased that number by almost 100%! (I'm not great at math, but that should be around 60). Brilliant minds have joined our team, and we're happy to welcome our partner, Jenny!

Last year, towards the beginning of our launch, we sponsored AZRAQ, a non-profit organization geared towards saving the oceans in the UAE. We offered a way for even one individual to be involved in enacting climate change. One small action caused a big impact!

We recently did an article on Emirates Nature-WWF and our support of them (you can read more about this here). This is one of many initiatives we've been pushing since even before day one. Gergana, one of our founders, has been incredibly active with this, too. In May, she hosted a sustainability talk for the Emirates Nature-WWF Leaders of Change program.

Jenny wearing NOWA Jeans

WILD FABRIK has also sponsored wellness events by the Australian Women's Business Council for the past two years. Discussions of women's health, empowerment, and wellness were a great place to promote a sustainable way of living.

In May, Gergana also led a conversation about start-ups for entrepreneurs for UN Women, an NGO (non-governmental organization). WILD FABRIK is an almost fully female-owned and -operated start-up.

But we've been even busier than just that!

In June, we participated in a panel discussion on sustainability and conservation at the Rove Hotel in Dubai. The goal was to connect with your WILD side and promote the conservation efforts Emirates Nature-WWF in the UAE. (It ended with a fabulous sustainable raffle draw, too!).

Along with numerous pop-ups to help spread awareness for sustainability around Dubai and Abu Dhabi, we've opened our own permanent location in the Dubai Meridien, Mina Al Seyahi, at Bounty Beats. One of our highlight pop-ups was at the Dubai Expo 2020. Promoting a more sustainable way of living has always been our goal. So what do we hope to achieve?

Our goal has always and most likely will always remain: promoting a fashionable and sustainable lifestyle with ethically sourced products.

In the coming months, we plan to further propel this forward. Gergana is in talks with UN Women and AZRAQ for environmental and sustainability podcasts.

We're looking to launch a brilliant campaign called A WILD CHILD, which will be held on 12 November 2022 at Times Square Centre in Dubai. A charity event to help support and protect animals and their habitats in the UAE, it will also be an opportunity for parents and children to learn more about fun, easy ways to live sustainably!

(It's also a great place to check out some cool sustainable pop-ups and get your little one to try a fun cooking class!)

Earlier this year, we launched our own I AM WILD t-shirt collection in collaboration with Emirates Nature-WWF to help raise awareness for endangered animals. (We're super proud of how cute these shirts are, too!)

And, in collaboration with one of our event sponsors, natrl™ box water, we're launching a special edition t-shirt with a turtle on it!

We probably all know that more than half of the world's turtle and tortoise species are now threatened with extinction. Loss of habitat is the biggest threat to them, but climate change also plays a role. Hundreds of thousands get caught in fishing nets and hooks. Others get caught in plastic thrown in the ocean and can't get to the surface to breathe.

We all know about plastic bottles and how they threaten a lot of sea animals. natrl™ wants to minimize that as much as possible, and offer water in cardboard boxes. It's a new solution to support people who want to have access to quality natural mineral water while cutting out plastic bottles.

And we're here for it! Check out the new t-shirt!