Parkour, singing and dancing– all ready for Haptic Path’s hemp-based, slow fashion for men and women
Every once and a while you meet somehow who inspires – like Ondi in India. They are all over the world and you will find them if you are listening. They are people who listen to that inner voice, some of us call intuition, and who build something that helps others participate in building a new reality.
Today we are going to talk with Nina Skibnevsky, founder of Haptic Path, a sustainable clothing line – for women and men – made in Israel for body, soul and mind. She is launching her business online and has a story to share, one that may inspire you to buy clothes that suit your movement in body and sustainable fashion purchases. She also runs the Facebook group Eco-friendly Israel.
She considers that your clothes should reflect your life, how you move and where you move.
Nina Skibnevsky founder of Haptic Path
Nina Skibnevsky founder of Haptic Path “My dream is to continue creating clothes that make the body sing and dance! To make clothes in which you can move effortlessly, look regal, and be confident in,” Skibnevsky tells Green Prophet. Consider that when you buy clothes today at H&M or Forever21 you mainly contribute to a cycle of abuse of people and children, and the environment too. Clothes that are made for women and men today and sold in mainstream shops are built to distort and contort the body image and self-esteem –– to uphold an unrealistic quest of creating the ultimate image. They are also built to throwaway next season, like last year’s top model. They are not made slow; they are not made to last.
Green Prophet: Tell us more about you.
I’m Nina Skibnevsky, and my journey to become a fashion designer came from a life-long passion with fashion. I grew up in Moscow but spent lots of time in nature. From childhood I dreamt about being a designer. I went to University to study Environmental Psychology and shortly after, I opened my wings and traveled the world for several years with my daughter.
I decided to retire my backpacking life 8 years ago and settle in Israel.
Why was it important for you to put your energy into clothes?
I believe in style, high-quality and the freedom of movement; I prize equity, sustainability, and eco-living; I treasure nature, the ability to travel and to connect to the beauty of the world. In my wanderings, I have witnessed many ecological issues first hand and believe it is essential to create with our planet in mind.
My aspiration is not just to make beautiful and comfortable apparel, but also to live my dreams and values – and, of course, to change the world!
Tell us about some of the problems with the clothing industry today?
I would mention three:
1) The business model of fast fashion brands pushes people to buy without thinking, to buy emotionally and to throw away after, because the garment falls out of trend and you need to keep up. This manipulative strategy was a king of marketing for many years and it’s destroying not only the environment, but the ability of each person to ask him/herself important questions (what do I like? how do I want to feel?) and to find his/her own path. man wearing hemp ready to wear clothes sustainable slow fashion
2) The world of fabrics is very diverse nowadays, but most options are made of polyester, which is the same as plastic bottles and will remain in the landfill much longer than a human’s life.
3) Most of the production is taking place in Asia, where people work very hard and are paid very little; they struggle to afford life’s most basic necessities.This is because the majority of today’s fashion brands and retailers do not own their manufacturing facilities. Fashion supply chains are highly globalised, complex and untransparent.
How is Haptic Path different than whatever else is out there?
My brand’s slogan is “Free motion in body and mind”. I believe that elegance and comfort should go hand-in-hand. Haptic Path’s clothes are created by a Psychologist (that’s me!) to empower people, to inspire them to move forward to their dreams and to stay in harmony with their body. For years I was practicing yoga, contemporary dance, butoh. When you are present in your body, aware of its feelings, you simply can’t wear uncomfy clothes. For me, this is true mindfulness and it’s one of the basics of the Haptic Path brand. I chose 100% natural and one of the most environmentally friendly and strong fabrics – hemp. All the items are made to last long and to look great in many different functions so that they become like a home to your body.
What’s going on in Israel that concerns you?
The most common misconception is that clothes should be cheap. Clothes are now like a helium balloon – one minute happiness. It’s not true. If it’s cheap it means that the producer used fabric and a dyeing process that damages the environment; it might be produced in sweatshops and most likely it is not healthy.
It’s a question of values. Everyone going to their job expects fair payment. The same with workers in the fashion industry.
Every item makes a very long journey to your wardrobe. It’s worth investing time to learn more about a brand and its values and to choose your clothes consciously.
The article by Kareen Kloosterman for www.greenprophet.com