How “clean” are your clothes? I never really thought about this until I recently came across TMPL — a new Canadian brand that brings awareness to the importance of what we put “on” our bodies. To the core, it’s about our health and wellness as well as the environment.
Some of us have already decided to ditch fast fashion and choose more natural and organic fabrics whenever we can. Buy quality not quantity has become our motto. But do we think about what goes else goes into these pieces? How about the dyes? How about how many litres of water go into making a garment? According to the Water Footprint Calculator, it takes 659 Gallons, or 2494 Litres of water to make a T-shirt.
TMPL (as in, your body is your temple, treat it right) was created when the founders, who had worked with successful athletic brands, began questioning the fashion and sportswear industry’s current acceptable levels of standards. It was a Greenpeace report titled “Toxic Threads” published in 2012 that sounded an alarm. The report spoke about how toxins used in the manufacturing process were being linked to illnesses. Something had to be done.
Having experience in fitness sportswear they decided to focus on this market. Just think about when you work out. Your body temperature rises and you sweat. The sweat is the way your body regulates itself and naturally cool. In this process, your blood vessels under your skin get wider. Your skin is also absorbing what you’re wearing from skincare products and clothing. So, that is definitely something we need to be aware of.
Extensive research had them exploring globally to meet their checklist: good for our health, good for the environment and fair manufacturing wages. They wanted the line to be high performing — able to keep up with fitness set of all levels. It wasn’t easy. The process led them a unique Bluesign and Oeko-Tex Certified performance Pur-Tec fabric and working with one of the world’s most advanced mills in Europe. The manufacturing is all done in Toronto with fair pay to the workers.
TMPL is now positioned to prove it’s worth. The brand recently launched with core pieces for both men and women. They also tell me they’ve tested out the fabrics that not only are comfortable, breathable, moisture-wicking, and has 4-way stretch but is also able to keep odours at bay which means fewer washings. Another way to take less steps in our blue footprint. And yes, the line is ideal for travel.
By the way, the company donates to the One Tree Organization. With every product sold, a portion of the sale goes to help them plant trees.
