Looking ahead to 2021: A message from our Founder
Well, that is 2020 almost done. A challenging year on so many levels for most of us I’m sure, but as the calendar flips over into 2021 I take a great deal of hope. COVID-19 was a catalyst to rethink sustainable fashion. As the climate emergency accelerates, the fashion world (indeed any industry for that matter) can no longer afford to overlook the need to put planet and people at the core of their business.
Consumers have been prompted to re-evaluate their relationship with their clothes, putting more emphasis on upcycling, repairing or refreshing. Purchase behaviour is becoming more considered and investing in better quality, well-sourced, long-lasting pieces is beginning to land as a message. Buy better, buy less.
For Pala, we have a very exciting announcement just around the corner, a personal goal I set for the business at the beginning of 2020 has come to fruition this month. We’re just waiting for the right weather and tide times to reveal all. Yep, I’m going to leave it that cryptic!
I also spent much of this year building relationships with our new Italian suppliers. All the new styles we will be launching on the website here on in will be handmade in Italy by a small family run business near Asti in northern Italy. Small batch production aimed to mitigate any over stock or possible waste in our business model. On the subject of waste, we will be talking more about our takeback scheme for our UK customers which we soft launched in September. When you buy a pair of our sunglasses you have the option to send back up to three old pairs of frames back to us. We’ll have those responsibly upcycled through our partnership with Terracycle.
Here at Pala HQ we’ll be working even harder to bring you closer to our stories and our purpose for being. Our mantra has always been to take small positive steps each and every time we make a decision. The impact that we have already created has been incredible, but I feel this is just the start and I am so excited as to where we can go with this. This brings me nicely onto you. I finally want to thank you personally and on behalf of the rest of the team who work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring you Pala. Without your feedback, encouragement and sharing of our story, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the impact we have. It’s that simple.
So for now, rest up, re-charge and enjoy family and friend time as circumstances dictate. Let’s kick 2020 into touch and make 2021 a year to remember for all the right reasons.
Warmest Regards
John
