CHIC AND ECO-FRIENDLY: DISCOVER HARE & ROSE
By: Hillary LeBlanc
Often times consumers still feel that shopping sustainably can be a compromise to a fashionable look. There is still a misconception that shopping green may also result in purchasing pieces that don’t look luxurious or are of a quality worth their price point. At Hare and Rose, founder Terri-Lynne Rade has ensured her bags are both recyclable and luxurious.
Though Rade spent 38 years being a nurse, she has always had a flair for creativity. When she saw a need to create a sustainable bag that didn’t compromise on style but also maintained a minimalistic chic quality, Rade dove into this new passion. All Hare and Rose bags are made of recycled materials, including the lining which is made out of recycled water bottles, the hardware is also sustainable.
Rade tells us that she worked on the design for a year and has been growing the brand for three years while continuing to research sustainability methods. “It is very difficult for Canadian designers to really be represented [through sustainability] in Canada, especially when, in the US and Europe, sustainability is more of a spoken word. There are sustainable designers, especially in Canada, who make beautiful designer bags that are sustainable. There is a space for us. There needs to be a space for us. I wish I could get people to understand that.”
She adds that consumers really concern themselves with the affordability of sustainable items, but she wants to remind people of the amount of thought that goes into each intricate detail for slow fashion products, especially the bags at Hare and Rose. Rade has put thought into each pocket and embellishment, adding that she would study bags on other websites for 8 hours a day, ensuring to consider issues her bag would be the solution to. “I learned that handles break when you put cheap hardware on, people get upset if the handle's too short. I wanted to make sure all the bad things were knocked off the list and all the good things were incorporated into our bags.”
Image Courtesy of Startup Fashion Week / Photo by @batchan.official
Hare and Rose’s minimalistic design also exudes sustainability through it’s versatility. Rade shares, “We have a two in one bag. It's a tote bag and it comes with a bucket. I designed it as a two in one set is because if we create pieces that are timeless and versatile, then we can interchange them and they can transition from season to season. We don't have to go out and buy another bag, we can use that one bag if it's designed beautifully, which our 2-in-1 Samantha Tote is. It has a strap on the inside that has a little clasp, and immediately, the bag goes from looking like a tote to a beautiful, more compressed designer bag. Plus, you have the bucket bag that comes with the tote as a set; that bucket bag can be used in the evening and during the day, it's in a neutral colour. That's the definition of functionality and minimalism.”
Despite all of her research, as a sustainable designer, navigating cost and profit is still an issue. “That is a challenge because as designers you have to source from your manufacturer, and it can't be in Canada because we can't afford to source here. We have to source outside the country and then we have to make sure that the manufacturer we source is sustainably certified, that they have all their certificates, and that they believe in fair trade. Once we get that in check, then we have to go through the materials and make sure that we've got an element in the materials that speaks to what the consumers want. You put all that together with your design and then, at the end of the day, you can't afford as a new designer to go into production in a big batch because it's very expensive. There's a reason why the price tag is the way it is. If I could produce this in a bigger batch, I could keep my price sticker down.”
With all of this in mind, Rade adds that the Hare and Rose bags are not just worth the purchase for the consumer, but they have been made with her blood, sweat and tears.