NxTSTOP Apparel
What you wear during your travels should keep you comfortable, optimize your travel wardrobe needs, and also help you connect with other like-minded explorers. Take less and do more while broadcasting your passion about where you have been, where you are, and where you aspire to be. Those ideas were the ones founder Brendan Kennedy wanted to emit when he founded NxTSTOP. Always thinking about the next positive adventure, he started his company to encourage people to travel and interact in positive ways. At the same time, he believes that a travel apparel company has a responsibility to help protect the world we love to explore. This means that the product must be sustainable for the environment in a way that is also economically profitable and powerful to drive change across the apparel industry.
At NxTSTOP they have defined a whole new approach to fabric composition for travel called Travleisure, which means selecting leading-edge materials that are both eco-friendly AND functionally important to overcome challenges that travel presents. The on-the-go attire, especially the Travleisure™ products, are architected for versatility that travel demands. They will be the first thing you put on before heading out the door, and help keep your suitcase lighter heading to the #nxtstop in your journey. In the COVID-19 time, functional now also means protective/sanitary in addition to comfort and versatility. For example, fabrics with properties that are distinctly antimicrobial/anti-viral, breathable, wrinkle-resistant, and odor resistant are selected. At the same time, recycled or organic fabrics and only biodegradable packaging are used to minimize the impact on the environment.
We travelers have an obligation to protect the world that is our playground. Apparel can be, and MUST be, a force for positive change - ecologically, socially, economically. That is why NxTSTOP has committed to sustainable practices. By leading and promoting the power of eco-friendly innovation, we can influence the world in a positive way to ensure the future of our planet. It is NxTSTOP´s aim to incorporate sustainable practices into 100% of NxTSTOP’s supply chain and product offering over the next three years. The brand seeks to minimize new potential waste in the ecosystem while operating via reportable and ethical practices. Prioritizing sustainability is the commitment NxTSTOP makes now. Achieving their goals will be the result of multi-year planning, adaptation, and teamwork not just within the business, but inclusive of their wide range of suppliers on multiple continents. These sustainable practices include:
Eco-Friendly Materials. Wherever possible, NxTSTOP uses recycled, organic, and biodegradable fabrics, trims, and dyes to reduce impact. Fabric and trims are selected in order of priority by what is: recycled, organic, non-organic biodegradable and lastly virgin synthetic. In short, utilizing recycled materials (like recycled polyester rPET) is typically less “environmentally expensive” than creating virgin fabrics or trims, but does have limitations. We therefore strongly prefer biodegradable materials that are completely organic (i.e., do not require harmful pesticides or treatment for growth) or minimize chemical treatment and waste. Wherever possible net new synthetic fibers are avoided or their composition in products minimized, with the long-term goal to completely discontinue virgin synthetic fabric use by 2021. Used materials: recycled polyester, organic cotton, man-made cellulosic fibers, recycled nylon.
Ethical, Efficient Production. NxTSTOP works with factories that utilize methods to reduce energy and water waste alongside responsible working conditions. The aim is to produce clothing using the lowest amount of energy, water, and chemical treatment possible in working conditions that are safe and legal. In reality, there are several shades completeness regarding these aspects of production. Where possible the brand works with suppliers holding universally accepted certification such as Bluesign, Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX, or STeP by OEKO-TEX. In practice, NxTSTOP relies on trusted relationships and visits with our suppliers to validate how they conform to sustainable, ethical production.
Compostable Packaging. NxTSTOP partners with NoIssue, a leader in package sustainability, to provide environmentally friendly, 100% compostable mailers. Noissue mailers are made from a combination of corn-based biopolymers that compost in 6 months (180 days). They are certified for both home and commercial compost. Most importantly, they leave no harmful traces behind. As part of Noissue's Eco-Packaging Alliance, NxTSTOP is also directly contributing to global reforestation. Each order of mailers contributes to the planting of a new tree around the world.
In response to the global pandemic, COVID-19, NxTSTOP has shifted its manufacturing and supply chain operations to create and offer affordable cloth face masks. This crisis is disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable groups in society, which is why NxTSTOP has decided to support a new charity each month by donating face masks to them. NxTSTOP has partnered with:
Feeding America to help get the masks on the frontlines of their food banks. Everyone should be able to protect themselves from COVID-19, and NxTSTOP hopes these donations help protect both Feeding America’s dedicated employees and the people they serve.
World Central Kitchen and The Navajo Nation by donating masks to WCK to support their efforts to provide hot meals throughout the Navajo Nation. WCK is feeding children, families, and senior citizens across America. Throughout this pandemic they have been safely distributing thousands of fresh meals to communities in need. Since Native American communities have been hit hard by Covid-19 The NxTSTOP team is committed to supporting both the Navajo Nation, and the impactful work of World Central Kitchen.
Know Your Rights Camp which was founded by Colin Kaepernick. Their mission is to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.
The Okra Project which is a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever they can reach them. NxTSTOP pledges to continue to show up and support the fight for radical justice, equality, and change. Black Lives Matter.
It Takes A Village BR, a nonprofit organization devoted to serving the Greater Baton Rouge community. ITAV works to provide food and clothing while also promoting dignity to their homeless neighbors. Their efforts helped to build a network of resources to lift them off the streets. Lives are transformed and spirits are lifted as they celebrate community and life together each Sunday.
Meals on Wheels America, the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This network serves virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. By providing funding, leadership, education, research and advocacy support, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time.
Travel during, and post, COVID will look a lot different from what we have been used to before. As Brendan mentions: “With COVID, travel now means the journey starts every time you leave your house. You are literally not allowed to enter a plane, bus, or even Uber without a face mask. A face mask is absolutely necessary to travel, but this just the beginning. We believe that the next evolution of apparel will be one that protects you in every step of your travel adventures. In the post-COVID-19 world, this idea will continue to permeate every aspect of travel.”
Based: Dallas, Texas, USA.
Ships to: Worldwide.
Products: Eco-friendly, functional travelwear.
Mission: To provide travelwear that is functional and at the same time eco-friendly.
Vision: To encourage people to protect the world they explore by interacting in a positive way and choosing products that share the same values.
URL: NxTSTOP
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