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La Trappe's monks clothed in sustainable denim robes by G-Star RAW

For a fashion brand that's been represented by Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams, working with a religious order is an unusual twist. Nonetheless, G-Star RAW just unveiled the habits it produced for the monks of Koningshoeven Abbey, makers of La Trappe beer.

The robe and hooded scapular are made of Cradle to Cradle Gold level certified denim, using 100% organic cotton that was dyed without harmful chemicals. G-Star used a design the monks have been wearing for centuries, taken from a hand-drawn pattern in an old book.

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A year and a half in the making, this partnership between two Dutch brands was inspired by a shared focus on craftsmanship and sustainability.

Both La Trappe and G-Star are working on water conservation: fashion is the world's second-largest consumer of water, and the abbey recently installed an ecological treatment facility for waste water produced while brewing. La Trappe also switched to electric vehicles powered by its own solar panels, while G-Star aims to use recycled and organic materials for 75% of its products by 2025.

Operating from a sense of purpose instead of (just) profit enables partnerships that might otherwise be unthinkable. Which unlikely alliances can your brand build to gain fresh perspectives?

16 December 2021

Innovation of the day

Related: This isn't the monks' first collaboration with a popular brand — it comes hot on the heels of last month's launch of a Brew Dog × La Trappe beer dubbed Practice What You Preach. For every glass sold, 1,000 glasses of clean drinking water are funded in developing countries.

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