THE CONTRAST TO FAST FASHION
ENDING THROWAWAY CULTURE
Northern Playground is a Norwegian clothing brand. We exist because of our love to challenge conventions. It all started in 2014 when we invented three unique products at the kitchen table - products we believed were better suited for playing in the northern playground.
After a few years of producing and selling these innovative items, we realized the problems we and the industry were contributing to. That’s when we changed everything.
We realized that clothing brands are experts at getting us to buy more and more clothes we don’t actually need. The result is absurd overconsumption, slave-like working conditions in factories around the world, and a planet that can’t take any more. The industry’s "answer" has been to produce more "sustainable" clothing. And honestly, we used to believe that was the solution too. But the truth that everyone in this industry knows deep down is that it’s consumption and volume that are the root causes of the problem. Any other statement is just greenwashing at its finest.
So in 2019, we asked ourselves:
Can we move in a completely different direction and think the exact opposite?
Can we encourage people to use their clothes for as long as possible?
How can we make money by reducing consumption?
How should we design products that people love and use for many years?
How can we market in a way that inspires real change?
How can we help society as a whole embrace longevity instead of a use-and-throwaway culture?
This is what Northern Playground is all about.
We’ve created the recipe to answer these tough questions. Of course, it’s hard to go against the current, and of course, we make mistakes. But we love swimming upstream and promise to keep challenging ourselves and this lousy industry forever.
We’d love for you to join us in this challenge too! So please, wear your clothes as long as possible, care for them as if your great grandma made them by her bare hands, repair them when necessary, and don’t let anyone fool you into thinking you need to follow trends.
Or just go naked 😊
OUR GOAL
Our mission is to make you love and use your products for a very long time. More specifically, we want our customers to change their habits and use their clothes twice as long—at least. If everyone does that, the footprint from clothing will be cut in half. At the same time, we aim to become a large company that proves a 'less is more' business model is both financially appealing and a radical improvement for both people and the planet.
OUR RECEPIE
We started by selling through stores worldwide, where the focus was mostly on the lowest possible price, low production costs, and the highest possible volume (like the rest of the industry). Now, it's about the opposite: selling directly to you at a fair price and incorporating everything we can into design, production, and services so that you'll want to use the product for a very long time. Read more about the model below.
WHY THE NAME NORTHERN PLAYGROUND?
Northern Playground is the playground where it all began: Norwegian mountains, forests and oceans. It is where we found, and continue to find inspiration. It is also a place that reminds us of how vulnerable nature is and how important it is to take care of it.
WHO WORKS AT NORTHERN PLAYGROUND?
We’re a small team, and our main strength is challenging the status quo. And we have to, because this industry sucks and is long overdue for fresh ideas.
We are also regular people that don't have Olympic gold medals or thousands of followers on Instagram. This company exists because the philosophy and products are strong enough on their own—we don’t need a tired celebrity to convince you.
The company is owned by its founders, employees, and customers. Together, we’re over 700 owners—8 of us are founders/employees, and the rest are customers. We’re proud of that!
We’re also people who dream of using a small clothing brand as a lever to create change—where our consumption doesn’t destroy the planet but helps make it stronger.
Norther Playground in media (Norwegian)
See a list of articles and podcast episodes we have taken part in.
