The heart of Tallinn, a city whose history is smattered with Swedish, Danish, German and Russian origins where the Baltic winds blow through the streets and over the red rooftops, hides a local treasure. This week, So Catchy! Where Fashion Begins brings you the Reval Denim Guild, an eco-minimalist brand based on sustainability and love for their city, which is apparent in everything they do.
Reval Denim Guild got its start 6 years ago with the creation of a line of personalized t-shirts before designing and producing bi-color pants using tapestry, which still represent the group today albeit with an updated design. The Guild as we know it today came to be in 2013 when the three founders, Sten Karik, Joan Hint and Peep Vähi began to focus their efforts on high quality designs produced from start to finish in Estonia. The pants made from different materials are a perfect example of the attention to detail that has become their signature, with carefully sewn seams inside and out. Reval Denim Guild is also environmentally friendly and no chemical products or aggressive washing techniques are used and their production and dye processes are non-polluting.
Their current collection has grown and offers pieces that range from custom hats produced with material from Germany. Clients can choose from between 20 different models and textures and their name can be printed on it as well. Their denim fabrics come from Belgium, Italy and Japan and they use wool from Germany. Apart from carefully sourcing their fabrics, Reval Denim Guild is a Fur Free Retailer and they don’t use animal products.
It’s a small team, more like a family, so growth has been little by little and they always work with people who are committed to the brand and to each piece they produce. During the creative process, they head to the woods, far from the city, to work on sketches for a week in isolation. Sten, Joan and Peep work in similar creative lines and have similar taste, values and aspirations for the label, which makes working together more fluid. There are no specifically defined duties and obligations as they all take part in everything. And their idea for the future of Reval Denim Guild is clear, they prefer to continue growing slowly and safely. Internationally, different products are being introduced in select shops in different countries and next year they plan on opening a dedicated store in Tallinn.
Many thanks to the Reval Denim Guild for welcoming us into their workshop and their hearts. From So Catchy! Where Fashion Begins, we wish you all the best on future projects.
You can see more from Reval Denim Guild on Instagram
Photos courtesy of María José Egea for So Catchy! Where Fashion Begins
Translation and Layout by Michael Padilla
