WHO OR WHAT IS MELD?

By dictionary definition, ‘Meld’ is the process of blending.  Bringing together more than one, to create something new. A process of change. Melding or developing to create something even more desirable than each part on their own.  Think about how much your favourite coffee is improved with a syrup (obviously based on taste criteria, as opposed to calories)! Or being served a dessert without cream or custard?! (Apologies for all the food analogies...)

Meld Apparel started with this idea- how to blend your fav comfy sports apparel, with a more fashion look. The best of both worlds! Comfort, engineering, no belts, and something you can bend in without feeling restricted. Something you can feel styled in at the shops, and equally comfortable in while exercising in the park.  The ultimate wardrobe for a busy women! That’s our design mandate, our driving force.

But can the perfect athleisure garment, really be perfect if it is contributing to a fashion system that does not value the environment or the people that work within it? So, we did some soul-searching and decided that we must play a larger role in the solution.

The fashion industry is number 2 polluter in the world, behind the oil and gas industry.  Fabrics can largely be classed into 2 categories natural or synthetic (though it’s possible to blend the 2 for a hybrid fibre). Natural fibres are from natural sources such as, cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo, silk etc. Synthetic are made fibres, like polyester, nylon, rayon, spandex, acrylic etc.  Basically, synthetic fibres are made through chemical processes.  They are are derived from petroleum and other natural resources and then extruded to create a fibre, that is woven or knitted into cloth. Natural textiles biodegrade naturally in a short period of time- like a planet that returns to the earth.  Synthetic textiles take between 20 and 200 years to naturally biodegrade!  This is because they are essentially plastics and so compound the current plastic problem.

So what can we do? Well our next collection will only use recycled, natural and organic fibres to minimise our impact.  Current technology can take existing plastics and make them into new polyester fibres, as opposed to depleting natural resources and providing a use for discarded plastic materials.  We can also make sure we are using natural fibres that will biodegrade and focusing on Organic options (which means they were grown without the use of terrible chemicals that devastate ecosystems as well as farmers). We can ensure our factories adhere to accreditations to ensure a suitable work environment for our makers, decent pay and set hours.

We can do this and we are, because this world needs a little more kindness. So we’re now ‘melding’ our unique styled active wear, with a planet friendly ethos. We hope you’ll agree its a step in the right direction!? Meld Apparel is making it easier for us to all be a part of the solution. I’m so looking forward to share our new line with you, estimated to arrive in February, for Spring Summer.