Taking a stand for change

Young entrepreneurs Jonathan Mitchell and Sam Mabley set up their flagship store Brothers We Stand at Cargo 2 in Wapping Wharf following the success of Jonathan’s ethical fashion website of the same name.

Sam, who joined the business after graduating from Bristol University, was ambitious to expand the brand with a dream to change the fashion industry.

Kimono Cardigan by sustainable fashion designer Alec Bizby

“Whilst I was at uni I watched the business grow and was impressed by the website and collection that Jonathan had curated,” says Sam.

“I’ve always had an interested in fashion, I studied music at uni and always loved the arts growing up, so fashion was a natural extension of that, however, it was definitely the ethics of fashion that got me involved in the industry.

“I wanted to set-up a physical ethical clothing store, where people could see, feel and try on garments in person, Jonathan and I started working together from there.”

Paper planes sweatshirt by sustainable fashion brand Idioma

Although Bristol is already a big promotor of sustainable fashion with companies like Antiform being a leader in their field, Brothers We Stand are the first stand-alone sustainable menswear fashion brand to join Bristol’s ethical fashion ranks.

Brothers We Stand T-shirts

“Wapping Wharf has been an up and coming area for a while now and there is a real focus on independents and ethics, so it seemed like a perfect fit for Brothers We Stand’s first store,” explains Sam.

“We love being down here, there’s a really good community amongst the retailers and a steady footfall from people on their daily commute to people who have come down specifically to visit the area.”

Abstract floral trousers by Alec Bizby

With many Bristol based sustainable fashion brands focusing on female and unisex fashion pieces there indeed does seem to be a gap in the market for stand-alone sustainable menswear company, but are the Bristolian men ready for sustainable fashion and do they know enough about it?

“We’ve had a really good response,” answers Sam. “We’ve had some customers who have been searching for a place where they can buy ethically produced clothing, one guy had almost given up then he found us, so it’s been amazing to help those people buy ethically.

“My vision is to provide every individual with a genuine ethical alternative to what is currently found on the high street.”

Upcycled jeans by Mud Jeans

Brothers We Stand aim to support men to build an ethical and sustainable wardrobe using a varied range of contemporary printed t-shirts and sweats, jeans, shirts, jackets, knitwear right through to accessories and swimwear.

The store stocks many established and new ethical fashion brands including, Alec Bizby, a recent London College of Fashion graduate whose handmade collection uses end of line cuts and locally made fabrics there is also the ingenious Mud Jeans, a Dutch company who encourage their customers to return their unwanted denim to be transformed into new items.

Handmade messenger bag by Elvis and Kresse made from decommissioned fire-hose and reclaimed military-grade parachute silk

The clothing ranges are all quite basic in style with a fair few contemporary prints thrown in but what surprises you is the amount that is on offer: Brothers We Stand have planned for every weather and lifestyle eventuality.

There is a lot of choice and the items are really well made using quality, ethical materials and amazing skills, just check out Elvis and Kresse for proof of that, a UK company whose handmade accessories are traditionally crafted from upcycled fire-hoses and military parachute silks.

Above all, every item in the converted shipping container supports ethical fashion and sustainable lifestyles which is the most important thing here.

Elvis and Kresse weekend bag crafted from British fire-hose

Brothers We Stand primarily retail other brands but does stock some of their own range plain t-shirts and sweatshirts which retail at £12.50 and £35 respectively.

“We find providing our own range has been a really effective way of making ethical clothing affordable,” says Sam.

Brothers We Stand’s own label features a capsule range of basic organic cotton tees made in a wind-powered factory and the sweatshirts are made from recycled plastic bottles.

Ethical fashion has moved on so much from its early days of hand upcycling with technology helping to power things forward into a sustainable future in fashion.

With independent fashion in Bristol booming, how do Brothers We Stand fit into the local scene and has Bristol been supportive?

“I love the quirkiness of a lot of Bristol fashion, we’ve got these floral joggers in store and they get comments of, ‘they’re so Bristol’”says Sam.

“Bristol has a growing trend of conscious consumerism and since setting up the shop I’ve met a couple of brands that are Bristol based, so it’s amazing to have other brands and people here who are bringing about change in the fashion industry.”

With the new year ahead of us what can Bristol look forward to from Brothers We Stand in 2018?

Sam says: “We’ve just launched our women’s collection in store. This is a big step for us having previously only done menswear, so we’re really excited to see the response to that and where that takes us!”

Brothers We Stand, Unit 20, Cargo 2, Museum Street, Bristol, BS1 6ZA
www.brotherswestand.com

Read our Fashion Editor Emma’s blog at www.no-debutante.blogspot.co.uk