Sustainable Design

I always wanted to set up a print studio and pestered my wife for us to make the move and make it happen. Late in 2008 I decided to just start with a basic set-up so we purchased some screens and a light which cost around $200 and started printing on a table in the shop. We had to hand iron the t-shirts to set the inks because we had no fancy flash drier, this was pretty labour intensive and the staff found themselves having to do a bit of ironing in those early days. During that summer we did well enough to look at buying a carousel and flash unit, and it just grew from there. 

Do you believe that consumers are more aware of sustainable items?

I would have to say that in general most people don't really care, it's unfortunate but it seems that eco friendly clothing is not really a priority. People don't know that most cotton contains pesticides, and GMO's to combat those pesticides; they also don't know about PVC's and Phthalates that are used in the screen printing industry which are also high in toxins. We try to inform people of what we do and why we do it and believe that in time it will become a priority in consumer decision making.

With that said we are always encouraged when we meet customers who really appreciate the approach we take. Eco friendly products will catch on, at the moment it's a small niche market, it's just going to take time to seep in to the mainstream.

One of the greatest things about using water based inks is the soft feel the print has, it is something that consumers are into and we have noticed this change in consumer attitudes. They are over the plastic, heavy feel of traditional screen printing and it's just a bonus that it's printed with eco friendly inks. Buying New Zealand means sustainability. We are sustaining the industries and people involved in our product and we know where everything in that product comes form.

Aroha & Friends is a family operated Napier based clothing store, art gallery and boutique printing outlet with a focus on New Zealand and sustainable design. 

How many designers do you have coming up with designs? 

Primarily it has been me and a french guy, Syvain. We have friends and artists who supply us with designs as well. At present I'm working with our local Kura Kaupapa to develop a Maori youth design group. We are looking at taking their work and applying them to various products.