Kowtow is more than a brand, it is above all a philosophy. Created by Gosia Piatek in New Zealand in 2007, its name comes from the Chinese "Kau Tau", a gesture that expresses a deep respect for a person. For this reason, the founder set herself a challenge: to create ethical and feminine fashion.
Kowtow is dedicated to the manufacture of clothing using only renewable and/or sustainable fabrics. Elegant and authentic, each product is first and foremost designed to respect the planet and human rights, from its design to its packaging. Founded in 2006 by Gosia Piatek, Kowtow is a label committed to the environment. It made the decision to use only renewable and sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing.
Circular Economy and Business
Kowtow products are characterized by producing only renewable and sustainable fibers and ethical manufacturing. They manufacture garments such as coats, dresses, knitwear, pants, and accessories.
Compared to the traditional industry, this brand works with organic materials, lowering the rate of pollution and waste. It also works according to orders, so as not to obtain unnecessary stocks. It offers repair services to its own garments to try to lengthen the life cycle of its products, thus achieving a lower rate of textile waste compared to a mass textile industry.
Using GOTS-certified dyes and washes, Kowtow’s use of natural dyes also contributes to helping the environment, a risk factor for multinationals with third-world factories, where the dumping of toxins in the water is very common, as well as child labor and without any ethics.
All Kowtow collections are made from organic, renewable, biodegradable, and regenerative fibers. Fully committed to fair trade production, it is designed with the long life of its products in mind.
Sustainable Fabrics
All of Kowtow’s organic cotton is certified by the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). Every season, the brand’s design team comes up with its ideas, designing its woven fabrics to craft the drape, texture, and form of each garment. In addition, it uses jersey, seed, and rib to give its knitwear a more timeless look, as organic cotton jersey is soft and easy to take care of.
Kowtow sources certified fair-trade organic cotton through its supply chain. Each garment its dyed with GOTS-certified washes and then finished with OEKO-TEX® Standard 100-certified nickel-free tacks manufactured in Germany. It also employs the use of Lenzing’s TENCEL™, which is a biodegradable fiber made using wood pulp from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests.
Its ZQ merino wool is dyed following the Bluesign® system regulations and is then blended with certified fair-trade organic cotton. For Kowtow’s coats, it uses Global Recycled Standard recycled nylon.