Mart and Rob Drake Knight are two Island based brothers who really care about the world around them. They wanted to create a business that made a difference in environmental terms and set about trying to find environmentally sound clothing as an alternative to high street fashion.
The result is a clothing company called Rapanui.
They’ve started off with a fairly small product line, focusing on essential items such as boxers, vests and t-shirts, all made from eco-friendly, accredited fabrics. They only use 100% organic cotton, convergence cotton and sustainable coppiced bamboo (this is where you have to plant one for every one you cut down).
They continually monitor the environmental impact, all the way through the product life cycle, to ensure it is minimised. The products are manufactured by wind and solar renewable energy systems and any unavoidable emissions are offset elsewhere.
We think that what the lads at Rapanui are doing is a great step forward in changing people’s thinking and it has certainly inspired us to consider alternatives.
“The unique power of fashion can be used to create positive change, so Rapanui offers just that; the opportunity to extend green values into the clothes we wear and the products we buy”.
We wish the Mart and Rob the very best of luck in their contribution to making the Isle of Wight a true Eco Island.
We’re sure that if Joe Duckworth hasn’t got one of their t-shirts yet, he will do pretty soon.
