About Us
Tropicaldream founder Emmely Been is a girl with big dreams - born in the Netherlands and now based in Byron Bay, Australia.
It was 12 years ago, Emmely was inspired by a fashion blog from Byron Bay; not even sure where Byron was. After a google search, she discovered it was a beautiful place, located on the most Eastern point of Australia. She was obsessed. With Byron Bay, the lifestyle and the amazing fashion.
So when Emmely finished university, she packed her bags and moved permanently to Byron. Her dream was to live that sunny life, challenge herself and eventually start her own ethical fashion label. And here we are 12 years later! Living the Tropicaldream.
PURPOSE OF THE BRAND
Tropicaldream garments are designed for women to feel comfortable, beautiful and sexy all at once. Not for others, but for herself!
We all know it’s important to feel good & confident with ourselves. And by loving yourself, you have to give yourself some love. Considering what YOU want and what YOU need. You are the author of your own life story, so make it a good one!
We also know, to truly feel our best, we must give the world our best! And that is by being good to our planet and the people. That’s why we choose ethical production and sustainable practices. Aiming to be as sustainable as possible! But what does being an ethical and sustainable focussed brand mean? And how do we apply it to our TROPICALDREAM?
ETHICAL
“The general definition of ethical fashion is fashion that aims to reduce the negative impact on people, animals, and the planet.”
It’s easy to look at an item of clothing and think, it’s always been that way. But unfortunately, bohemian skirt trees don’t exist. Our clothing starts as a material that looks nothing like the clothes we put on our bodies.
1 in 6 people work in the global fashion industry and most earn less than $3 a day. Growers, producers, movers, makers, packers and sellers are exploited, underpaid and put in terrible working conditions. Garment factory workers work in factories without access to clean drinking water, regular breaks, comfortable environments or basic human rights.
”We should bother with ethical fashion, because “there is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.”- Mahatma Ghandi.
That’s why it was Tropicaldream’s priority to find manufacturers that care for their makers, as much as they care for the planet. In Bali, our high-quality garments are all ethically made by a beautiful and highly experienced team of tailors. The head tailor has more than 25 years of experience in making patterns, designing clothes & sewing techniques. A true expert.
Before our partnership, our beautiful tailors were struggling to earn a consistent income in Bali, especially during COVID-19. But we saw how talented this manufacturing team was, with each garment being perfectly made at the highest quality. In collaborating, we have been able to support one another. And support you! Because you are the one who is going to wear, love, and feel amazing in each stunning piece!
“In the most ideal sense, ethical fashion benefits those working along the supply chain and creates a better future for everyone—not just for those at the top."
SUSTAINABLE
As well as being ethical, sustainability is at the forefront of Tropicaldream’s mission. We are an environmentally focussed label, where all products & shipping are completely plastic free. Additionally, we plant a tree with every purchase you make and create scrunchies from every fabric offcut we have.
EVERY ORDER PLANTS A TREE
We are blessed to live on this beautiful planet and believe that it’s our individual and collective duty to take care of it. Therefore, we give back to the planet by planting a tree for every sale we make! All trees planted through Tropicaldream will become a forest in real-time!
100% COMPOSTABLE MAILERS
Our compostable mailers, fondly known as HeroPacks, are unlike traditional shipping mailers, NOT made from plastic. Our mailers are made from plant-based materials such as PLA and a certified compostable material called PBAT (some seriously fancy ways of saying cornstarch and bonding agents).
The good thing about these bags is that they have a double adhesive strip so you can re-use the bag. Once the mailer has been used up, the last person to receive it can cut it up and put it in their home-compost bin (note, these can't be placed in the recycling bin). The compostable mailers will start to break down and turn into fertiliser for the garden. This takes about 90 days (3 months). You’re welcome!
RECYCLED PACKING ECOPAPER
To minimise our footprint, we have chosen recycled packing ecopaper. Did you know that normal gift wrap is costing the earth? Most decorative gift wrap isn't recyclable, and even other kraft paper rolls are made from virgin paper.
Our packing Ecopaper is made from 99.9% recycled content, meaning once your gift has been appropriately "oohed" at, the wrapping can go straight into their recycling or compost bin. Better yet, they could just re-use it! Krafty.
SCRUNCHIES - MINIMISE WASTE
Last but not least: Making scrunchies has become a part of our sustainable, zero-waste mission to minimise wasteful fabric offcuts. Our scrunchies are softer on your hair than elastic hair ties, so they help to reduce breakage and they are a sustainable alternative to polyester-based hair ties. Scrunchies are also a lot harder to lose than hair ties. Entire packs of those black elastic suckers seem to magically disappear every few months - very wasteful.
We hope you feel beautiful in your new Tropicaldream outfits and enjoy your one-of-a-kind scrunchie <3