Hello everyone, I am François Verdet , partner at Bask in the Sun. It is a powerfully iodized men's clothing brand, inspired by both the heritage of marine clothing and urban fashion.
We develop original creative pieces with clean and functional lines. Since the first days, for each of our collections, we have set a particular requirement for the priority use of organic, natural and recycled materials to have as little impact as possible on the environment.
The opposite of fast fashion, Bask in The Sun is part of a logic of short circuit and quality. We produce all of our collections 800 km from the Basque Country, in small coastal workshops with recognized expertise in northern Portugal. We go on site several times a year to choose the finest materials and check the entire manufacturing chain. The assurance of free, European and sustainable fashion!
Today, I dedicate a large part of my daily life to Bask in the Sun! The project is 10 years old now and has grown in scope. We are present in 200 stores in France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, England, Switzerland...
I owe my eco-responsible commitment to a trigger, an awareness: a walk on the beach around fifteen years ago. There was so much trash that in places you couldn't see the sand! It then seemed obvious to me to become a volunteer at Surfrider. I learned a lot about the ocean, the harm of plastic, wastewater treatment plants and everything that impacts aquatic environments... And so logically I changed my lifestyle to reduce my impact on nature: take my bike for all daily trips of less than 3 km; remove meat from my diet and learn to cook plant proteins; buy a second hand ; repair if possible (tutorials can be found on almost all subjects on the internet); give what I no longer need (free or on donnons.org); change banks to no longer finance ecocidal projects; adopt the eusko (the local currency which promotes short and eco-responsible circuits...); switch to Enargia which provides 100% renewable and local electricity and so many other things...
In this sense, I am also an activist at Bizi!, it is a good complement in addition to Surfrider which is an international NGO. Conversely, Bizi! is based in Bayonne and is based on the principle that it is easier to improve things close to home rather than wanting to change the world. It is an association which is as interested in social justice as in the climate through our food, our travel, solidarity (with exiles in particular), gender equality...
The way I perceive the world around me and interact with others has been heavily influenced by the ocean of humility. We are so small compared to this mass of water, especially when the waves are huge. This puts us back in our little place and prevents us from taking ourselves too seriously. Nature was there before us, it will be there after...
Website: www.baskinthesun.fr
Instagram: @baskinthesun_clothing
