Presentation of Reflo, a sustainable clothing brand

The world as we know it is changing and without human intervention the exponential decline of the planet would have serious repercussions for the future of humanity.

Climate change and the need to recycle properly are not something new, but a special – and long overdue – emphasis has been placed on protecting the Earth to secure a future for subsequent generations.

A combination of deforestation, neglect of the proper method of recycling waste and the disastrous fast fashion industry is contributing to a world in disarray.

Fortunately, there are several people who just don’t sit still while this is happening; a privileged few who took it upon themselves to influence the change.

Rory macfadyen is one of those people and through the creation of Reflo, a brand of sustainable clothing, it hopes to disrupt the norm in an effort to stop the destruction of the ground we walk on.

What is Reflo?

Reflo is an apparel company specializing in golf and sportswear, but their product craftsmanship propels this business beyond your standard fashion retailer.

All the materials that make up the products have been created with recyclable waste, in addition to being intentionally designed to be sustainable.

For each product purchased, Reflo will plant a tree in areas devastated by deforestation.

The idea for the company came directly from a sporting event which speaks volumes about the efforts that golf must make to limit its impact on the environment.

“I worked at a sporting event and saw the huge amount of product that was being handed out and there were boxes on boxes of clothes that were right there,” MacFadyen noted, recalling the initial idea of ​​the business.

“Knowing the environmental impact of producing clothes, I thought, ‘there must be a better way to do it’ and it was around the same time that my friend Pete told me about finding a company capable of turning a plastic bottle into a high performance fabric and two ideas formed the initial spark.

While the coronavirus has inflicted pain and suffering across the world, our planet has benefited greatly from the disruption of life as we know it.

The mountains behind Los Angeles could be seen for the first time in years; the experience of stargazing in cities had increased dramatically and the heavy smog, which typically surrounds the majority of large cities, decreased significantly.

The water in Venice became clearer and in general there was less pollution, which allowed the wildlife not only to thrive but to thrive for future generations.

Back at Reflo, many of you may be reluctant to establish yourself: “Another golf apparel company? I can hear you say.

Yes, this is a clothing brand specializing in golf apparel, but they are so much more than that, with contagious ethics at the forefront of their business.

As mentioned above, every purchase will see a tree planted in selected regions of the world that have suffered from the debilitating act of deforestation.

Via a partnership negotiated with Ecology, which are located in Bath, a proportion of each sale will go directly to giving back to Earth.

“We worked with them [Ecologi] on identifying Mozambique and Madagascar as two places that we felt needed urgent attention.

“These are two areas where huge amounts of land have been taken up by agriculture and as a result trees are felled and this has tremendous effects not only on CO2 levels but also on the way the soil of furtoil ends up being washed away. “

Of course, Reflo is only at the very beginning of its journey, but MacFadyen cannot stress enough that if the retailer gains popularity, its commitment to a greener future will also increase.

“Planting trees would create jobs for the locals and we fund them ourselves from each product – which is fully integrated into our model forever. If sales increase, our investment in these areas also increases. “

It’s clear that Reflo believes in a greener future and to note that the world they envision drives every executive decision would be an accurate description.

When identifying factories for the creation and distribution of clothing, they must adhere to certain regulations while reflecting the conviction and passion that embody the Reflo brand.

“We have rejected factories where we wanted to manufacture certain products. We sent an independent audit and the conclusion was: not for us, too much risk here.

In addition to ensuring that working conditions are fair, safe and legal, Reflo has intentionally created its products to be sustainable.

Durability

What does this mean, or on the contrary, what does it mean for you?

The Oxford Dictionary definition of sustainability is: to avoid the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.

So how does Reflo ensure that all of its products are sustainable? “To be truly sustainable you have to own less, better,” MacFadyen tells me. “And that’s really important to us.

“The pants are designed to look like chinos, so you can put on boat shoes – or any other shoe – and you can go to the office or even a bar; they look like chinos, but they are stretchy and have a great performance – you can even do a squat in them if you want.

A question for our readers: do you wear your golf clothes off the course? Do you dare to go into town with your latest polo collard?

Very few people do, and that’s exactly what MacFadyen refers to when he talks about sustainability; Reflo encourages you to wear its products at the office, in store or even while jogging!

The Reflo collection doesn’t have to be cheap and certainly can’t compete with brands like Nike or Adidas at the moment, but the concept of the company isn’t there to compete with these major players – it’s for serve as a model to do better.

“No matter where you work, modern slavery is always present,” MacFadyen tells me, referring to the sweatshops that have been uncovered in Leicester in recent years.

“We are at the forefront of changing that and although our price might be a bit more expensive than some other brands, it is because we are paying more to make the product and yes we could be cheaper – we could be more affordable by manufacturing in the same factories as the big brands – but then it wouldn’t be Reflo: it wouldn’t be us.

“Everything is snowballing to the point where I think every brand should behave like this.”

Reflo launched with the aim of combating the overwhelming negativity that has been caused by the actions of the human race.

By purchasing their products, you will not only be in possession of comfortable, stylish and environmentally friendly clothing, but you will be contributing to the reconstruction of the planet.

“People and the planet go hand in hand – so it’s vitally important that we take care of both,” was one of the last thoughts MacFadyen shared with me – and he’s right!

While Reflo may be the first to move in this direction, it certainly won’t be the last.

Thanks to this, they can see themselves as the forerunners of positive change and it turns out that their clothing collection is quite impressive as well.

Products

I bought two polo shirts – with incredibly jazzy designs – and a midlayer from Reflo to test out on the golf course.

Firstly, the quality of the clothes is immense and deserves to be mentioned. I headed to the course for a 7am tee time in mid-November, and the winter chill was present.

Considering the temperature was 6 ° C and I was only wrapped in two layers – a polo shirt and the mid layer – the heat flowing through my body was unprecedented compared to any other brand I have used.

There wasn’t a single moment during the three hour game that I felt too hot, too cold, or even uncomfortable – I felt completely relaxed and at ease, which contributed to what was a great round of golf.

We established that the entire clothing line was created from recyclable waste but that is not where Reflo felt the need to stop.

“The swing labels on the products are made from recycled cardboard and the twine is hemp, a low-impact, easy-to-regenerate fiber that doesn’t take up a lot of water and grows very quickly. “

Overall, my experience of trying Reflo’s clothing products has been pleasant; the texture of the fabric is soft and the heat retention is something that surprised me but was certainly welcome on a cold winter morning.

The whole range has been launched and is now live, you can see their products below.

Remember that every purchase will see the planting of a tree in areas that require intervention and thanks to Reflo’s vision the long road to recovery begins today.

For more information, please visit the official Reflo website.