Winner of the ISPO Brand New Award in the Eco/Fair Trade category, Monkee Clothing has created a line of sustainable climbing apparel. The new brand stands for not only authenticity and passion in climbing but creating clothing with a low impact on the environment. The Monkee motto is "know what you wear and where it comes from".
Monkee Clothing was founded by Ingo Walde and Marion Hett. The pair wanted to make climbing apparel that was young and fresh and could also pass as normal street clothing. In addition to making great looking climbing apparel, the two wanted Monkee to help improve the world.
The Monkee Clothing line achieves bright colors and unique styles, all through the use of natural materials. The annual collection features complete sets of both mens and womens climbing apparel, including everything from pants and t-shirts to hoodies and tank tops. The collection is arranged into three different iconic labels that represent Monkee's support for various causes- Protection, Care-Wear and Organic.
Profits from apparel sold under the Protection label go towards protecting their company namesake- the monkey or gorilla in this case. Monkee supports the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund where they sponsor two gorillas: Ubmuzu and Igihozo. Ingo Walde's thesis for his diploma in design at the University of Applied Science in Nuremburg was a commercial for the 2009 WWF Year of the Gorilla.
The Organic label uses only biological materials such as cotton, bamboo or hemp. The material comes from cultivation without pesticides dominated by small family farms. The entire production chain for Monkee Clothing is bio-certified and only recycled or recyclable materials are used.
The Care-Wear label goes towards supporting ethical and social commerce. As a member of the Clean & Unique Association, Monkee strives to source products from suppliers who follow rules such as no forced labor, no discrimination, freedom for interest groups, minimum wage, collective bargaining and a safe and happy workplace.