Innovation

Founders of TWAN, Khadija and her husband Nasir have always been responsible and concerned citizens and consider themselves environmentalists. The 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires made them take action against increasing climate change. Coincidentally, they spotted a gap in the market: no brand was offering sustainable and eco-friendly clothing solutions in the Middle East.

Although they wanted to establish a physical retail store due to Covid-19, they decided to launch TWAN online. Moreover, during the lockdown, they researched and improved their business plan, their products, and the value their products bring to the consumer. They have taken the following actions to maximize their eco-friendly claim:

• They use 100% organically produced cotton fabric in their clothes.

• The packaging is plant-based and biodegradable with no toxic residues or micro-plastics.

• They produce a limited quantity of clothes so that their items never go unworn and wasted. They also use every off-cut to create some unique pieces of clothing.

• They make clothes which are long-lasting and can be worn a lot and in every season, thus reducing the consumption of material.

• They promise to plant 10 trees for each item sold making the planet greener and reducing pollution by partnering with “one tree planted”.

• Through their online platform, they advocate for the protection of the environment and spread awareness about the hazards of climate change.

By bringing the above-mentioned innovations in their business model, Khadija and Nasir aim to play a positive role in saving this planet for future generations.

Inspiration

Before Covid-19, TWAN founders Khadija and Nasir wanted to launch an offline business in the beauty industry and spent over 3 months researching and developing their business plan. Then the pandemic came, and everything came to a stop. Khadija and Nasir did not lose hope and started looking for other business opportunities. Khadija came to Nasir and said, "…what we should look for opportunities in everything. There is no way we can start an offline business at the moment. Let's think of something online."

Khadija had some experience in the fashion industry so they started exploring opportunities in fashion and found that there was no brand offering sustainable clothing solutions in the Middle East.

As environmentalists, Khadija, and Nasir are always concerned about the effect of climate change and pollution on earth. They were motivated to start a sustainable business after they saw wildfires around the world every year especially the 2019 wildfires of the Amazon rainforest in which millions of hectares were burnt. "The amount of forest that got burnt just in 2019 made us really think and question what we can do to impact this matter," says Khadija.

"We hope that the number of sustainable businesses will grow rapidly every year," Khadija states hopefully, "and we believe that this way we will be able to fight climate change and create a better future for all of us."

Overall impact

Since TWAN has just launched in September 2020, it would be too early to determine the overall impact of the innovation in their business. But the concept and idea behind TWAN will surely get traction due to their business ethics and the value they deliver to the consumer. In today's world of social media, there is a growing number of consumers who are aware of the impact of the choices they make while shopping and buying products. The consumer is aware than ever before that their behavior has an impact on their personal health as well as the health of the planet earth. That is why we see more and more people are adopting organic eating habits and buying environment-friendly products.

Currently, no other brand is offering eco-friendly clothes in the Middle East so TWAN is offering clothes to untapped consumers that are not only eco-friendly but long-lasting and durable too. That means they will not have a low-quality product and go to waste compared to other conventional non-eco-friendly clothes. Also, TWAN is promising to plant not 1 or 2 trees but 10 trees with every item purchased. That means they are helping the environment by purifying the air and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Business benefit

As stated earlier, TWAN has just been launched this year despite COVID-19 when businesses are shutting down and people are losing their jobs. Khadija and Nasir have taken a bold risk launching this business during the pandemic. They have spent two months researching, planning, and working on creating the brand. They have found a manufacturer too who can produce the type of 100% organic clothes which is TWAN's unique selling point. They have chosen their fabric and packaging suppliers who respect and follow the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) which is a textile production certification that limits the use of toxic bleaches, dyes, and other chemical inputs during the production process of textiles.

Still, in its beginning, TWAN can only be reached through social media now but they will soon launch a website too and expand their range of products. Although, they have started accepting pre-orders of their streetwear hoodie and shorts. With expanding business, they will surely hire new employees and make further economic opportunities. Their success will also make other brands follow in their footsteps and offer environment-friendly clothing and apparel.

Social and environmental benefit

According to TWAN founder Khadija, their brand stands on values which are:

• Sustainability: They use only certified eco-friendly materials from fabric sourcing to manufacturing to packaging. Their clothes are made from 100% organic cotton and recycled materials. While the packaging is plant-based and biodegradable with no toxic residues or micro-plastics.

• Slow Fashion: TWAN believes that the eco-friendliest clothes are the ones that you wear a lot that's why they pay attention to detail and concentrate on creating pieces that are long-lasting and season-less.

• Reduced Waste: They limit the production, so the items are never gone unworn and use every off cut to create some unique pieces.

• Transparency: TWAN is convinced that customers deserve to know how their clothes are made, by who, where, and in what conditions that's why they put transparency at the heart of everything they do.

• Trees: They want to give back to Earth by committing to plant 10 trees for each item sold. One tree can absorb nearly ten pounds of polluted air and release 260 pounds of oxygen per year, now multiply that by ten – yes, that's a one-item change only.

TWAN is contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve the following goals:

• Good Health and Well-Being (3)

• Clean Water and Sanitation (6)

• Responsible Consumption and Production (12)

• Climate Action (13)

• Life on Land (15)

And they are currently working on improving their business model to make it totally waste-free.

Interview

Khadija Alieva and Nasir Habibyar, Founders