Goat's Journey

Founded by twins Abigail and Lavinia Bakker, the idea of Goat first appeared from their need for a basic white T-shirt. Although easy enough to find, it was a different story once they filtered it down to a white T-shirt that’s sustainable, organic and affordable. What to do when you can’t find what you’re looking for? They simply decided to do it themselves.

“Sustainability is not sustainable if it’s not accessible” – That’s Goat’s motto. This means that the collections must be appealing, its source must be honest, the prices affordable and easy-to-purchase. Once all those boxes are ticked, the result is an ethically produced, 100% organic cotton T-shirt from as little as €24,95.

Why organic?

Our fabrics are environment-oriented and we use organic cotton in all of our apparel. What does that mean? No use of toxic chemicals or GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) or anything else artificial in the farming process, allowing for the health of the soil, eco system and people to be preserved. That way, the environmental and social impact is kept to a minimum.
The organic cotton used in our garments comes from GOTS and/or OCS certified plants from India. Why we want organic cotton for our apparel is very simple:

No chemicals
It is grown without damaging chemicals or pesticides. (To give you an idea; conventional cotton accounts for 8-10% of the global pesticides use.) This means that organic cotton avoids any kind of pesticide poisoning which can lead to multiple health problems and even death. 200,000 people die from toxic exposure to pesticides per year across the world, according to the UN.

Saves water
As stated in the previous fact, cultivating organic cotton ensures that no chemical insecticides, fertilisers or pesticides are used, which also means nothing harmful flows into the soil or into adjoining rivers, lakes or seas. This also means that the water used for organic farming is not considered as lost water, as it can be used again and can return to the soil and other water sources without causing any harm. Furthermore, organic cotton uses 91% less water and is also mostly rain-fed, which means the use of irrigation is next to nun.

Fair wages are payed
While the yield of organic cotton may be lower than conventional cotton, farmer revenues do not decrease, as their overall expenses are reduced. Crop rotation and intercropping also benefit farmers as it allows them to further supplement their food and income. 300,000 farmers have committed suicide since 1995, in response to the high cost of GMO seeds, pesticides and chemical fertilisers.

Saves CO2 & energy
It saves around 46% of CO2 and 61% energy, compared to conventional cotton.

Still only 0,9% of te global production is organic. We need to do better.

Proudly made in Bangladesh

As a fashion label, we want to give the people making our clothes the recognition they deserve, they are the real heroes after all, right? That is why we work with a production partner, that has the highest standards when it comes to their workers. To ensure the safety and fair treatment of all the workers, they systematically monitor the working conditions and practices of their partner factories, and implement concrete action plans to improve them.

Monitoring is carried out in three ways:
Regular visits from HQ (2-3 times per year)
Daily factory visits by their local team in Dhaka
Formal audits (once every 2-3 years)

During their visits, the following gets checked:
> Employment is freely chosen.
> Fair wages are payed (over 50% increase since 2018).
> Working conditions are safe and hygienic.
> Child labour must not be used.
> Working hours are not excessive.
> No discrimination is practiced.
> Regular employment is provided.
> Harsh or inhumane treatment is prohibited.

We are Goat and we are Proudly made in Bangladesh.