A slow fashion brand embracing timeless design and local production to create a thoughtful curation of elegant jewellery and carefully manufactured organic cotton and recycled polyester pieces.
Whilst much of the fashion industry relentlessly speeds along, the slow fashion label Noëmvri glides in the slow lane, fuelled by fundamental beliefs essential to the conscious consumer: individualism, humanity, honesty and sustainability. All essential values for a sustainable fashion brand in today’s climate but for how the three founders, Nele, Verena and Oliver met, lies a less typical tale. In New York, Nele found herself sewing a skirt for a holiday, and after Verena desperately begged to have a similar skirt sewn, the two women knew they were onto something. Days and weeks went by and gradually their project became a mission, filled with enthusiasm the two realised they needed more support to realise this dream. Oliver arrived to complete the trio and Noëmvri was born: “The benefits of establishing a business as friends is that we all came into the business with a shared vision and a wide variety of skill sets, we find these compliment each other very well”, said Oliver, speaking to Aware.
Alongside its collection of carefully manufactured organic cotton and recycled polyester pieces, Noëmvri presents a timeless selection of responsible jewellery, made in Germany. Manufacturing locally often comes at a considerable financial cost to both brand and consumer but Nele, Verena and Oliver saw no other option: “We were motivated to create jewellery with a minimal environmental impact: prioritising the shortest delivery routes possible and fair working conditions”. As is often the case when choosing to produce sustainable products, there are further limitations that confront the brand on a daily basis, in particular when manufacturing their clothing: “there aren’t that many who produce organic quality for our small company, and when it comes to fabrics, we can’t do everything”, Oliver tells Aware.
Furthering the desire to minimise their jewellery’s carbon footprint, Noëmvri works with recycled gold and silver to produce their elegant and timeless pieces.
Despite its minimalistic aesthetic, Nele, Verena and Oliver, look to all corners of the world for inspiration when designing the unique pieces: “We sketch a lot and see if we can make our own thing out of existing jewellery we see around the world. For the organic rings, we are greatly inspired by nature. In particular, the pebbles in a river. The shape of these rings can be wonderfully combined, a true mix and match product.” The inspiration for designs doesn’t stop at nature, speaking to Aware Oliver explained that the source for a new design often comes from recounting more personal memories, “We wanted to create a necklace (the snake necklace) inspired by our grandmother’s jewellery based from the 1920s. We think this chain, as it was worn a lot in the past, is absolutely beautiful and classic”.
The result of these inspired pieces is a range of truly inspiring jewellery: a sleek gold matt band to be paired with a ring, emboldened with a twisted croissant, to the aforementioned iconic snake necklace laid against a simple chain with the word “now” delicately twisted into the recycled gold or silver. Whilst each design beautifully holds its own, Noëmvri encourages the wearer to experiment with combinations of the pieces, “the rings and necklaces, in particular, can be wonderfully combined, a true mix and match product” Oliver told Aware.
Noëmvri‘s mission for environmental consciousness goes beyond designing products, with the brand integrating a responsible attitude to packing and shipping for a truly holistic approach to sustainability. Their goal: to use as little packaging as possible. From the supply chain to delivering the pieces to the customer, every step is closely monitored in order to align with Noëmvri’s environmental principles: using plastic-free, biodegradable and natural packaging materials where possible.
Despite an uncertain climate for small businesses, Noëmvri is feeling optimistic: “We hope that our small business will become better known and that many people will be encouraged to shop consciously. We hope to make the world a little better”.
by Eliza Edwards
