The garment industry is responsible for around 10% of global CO2 emissions and enormous use of water and pesticides. In addition, the people who make the clothes suffer from low wages and environmental destruction. Ragnarøk takes a different approach, including completely local production, a design focused on circularity and a short and transparent chain. The Zwolle-based brand’s shirts are made from yarn made from the scraps of FSC-certified wood. This creates a material that is infinitely reusable, as well as 100% biodegradable and compostable.

At Bevrijdingsfestival Overijssel, founder Yann Wunsch and his colleagues conducted several tests to take their clothing and brand to the next level. For example, the quality of the t-shirts made by Ragnarøk was tested by volunteers in the days leading up to the festival. They wore the shirts while setting up the festival. “People liked how soft and comfortable the material is,” says Yann. “On the other hand, there were also some concerns that the fabric might be a little too fragile, so that’s something we’ll be looking at in the near future.”

On the day itself, the startup engaged with visitors about Ragnarøk’s clothing and the story behind the brand. Yann is pleased with the feedback he picked up this way. “We talked to more than 100 people despite the bad weather, and did multiple tests. This allowed us to validate some important assumptions. For example, we found that while people consider sustainability an important issue, when it comes to clothing they consider things like style, fit and comfort a lot more important. So that’s something we need to take into account when developing our future products.”