A behind-the-scenes look at Reg and Ronald Nelemans, the company’s founders. As with any company, it all starts with a little story. In 1897 Jan Nelemans decided to start the clothing business; today, four generations later, the two brothers continue this tradition.
Twenty years ago they decided to make Fashionpower what it is today: a company that has its focus at the heart of society, developing sustainable, comfortable and affordable sports collections and producing them in a socially responsible way according to current standards . These five main questions are always important: What do the brands stand for, what is their belief, which decisions are made on the basis of this belief, what is their responsibility and what do they believe in?
Ronald Nelemans: “When we started, functional sportswear was only available from the big, expensive brands. We thought that had to change. And that’s how our mission was born: people should be able to move comfortably and with a good feeling. Have that we did for years until Reg returned from a trip to China twelve years ago and the next step was taken: we added the sustainability aspect to the articles to become the best sustainable actor.
In the first few years, the market first had to get used to sustainable sportswear and activewear. Especially when FashionPower introduced yarns made from bamboo, coconut and coffee. The fashion industry remains one of the most polluting industries and FashionPower wants to change that. Currently, 95 percent of the collection is sustainably developed. By 2030, it aims to be a fully sustainable and transparent company – from technology to product to working conditions.
Reg Nelemans: “Sustainability is in our company’s DNA. You can put anything on a label, paper is patient, but we’ve always made it a point to test it and make sure it works before we put it on the market. From what it exists and how it is made is not only checked by third parties such as Oeko-Tex and Amfori, but we also constantly check it ourselves.
Health and sustainability are extremely important. With our comfortable, affordable and sustainable sportswear we offer added value and contribute to a better environment. Not only the people who buy our clothes, but also our suppliers and everyone who works for our company are concerned about sustainability.
Ronald ‘We keep our promises and we build lasting relationships. The business partners of the first hour are still there. We have a very high level of service and we always think in terms of solutions, even when it comes to presentation, packaging and online support. We are a complete solution provider.
Together with a fantastic team of forty employees in Zundert, Nanjing China and Aachen, we work towards our goal every day FEEL RESPONSIBLE ACT SUSTAINABLE.
