Our Beginning

The genesis of hessnatur is both simple and unique. The time was 1976, before people who loved and respected nature were called environmentalists, before there was a green movement. Heinz Hess was a naturalist, a man who ardently believed that pure was better, organic was healthier, that man and nature should exist in harmony. With the birth of his son, Hess was determined to provide his newborn with the organic clothing he couldn’t find anywhere. So Heinz Hess started his own clothing company, hessnatur.

Although it was only a little over 30 years ago, synthetic clothing had almost completely supplanted natural, organic clothing and so finding manufacturers was very difficult. When he did find them, he discovered that many natural textiles were chemically treated, destroying the health of the fibers. But with a handful of dedicated suppliers, he began to offer beautifully crafted and completely pure clothing. Demand for hessnatur apparel led Hess to initiate organic cotton farming projects, the world’s first in Sekem, Egypt, followed by projects in Peru, Senegal, Turkey and Burkina Faso. The fibers are grown and cultivated without artificial fertilizers and pesticides, anything, in fact, that harms the people who wear the cotton or the people who grow it. Beyond cotton, Hess began to work with partners who developed organic linen, silk and wool, adhering to the same strict measures as the cotton.
 
In 2002, hessnatur set the standard for humane labor conditions in the clothing industry. With the Clean Clothes Campaign, we developed an innovative system for control and inspection that ensures humane production. In 2005, hessnatur was the first German company to be certified by the FairWear organization.

Heinz Hess died in 2006. But his dream didn’t die with him. He created a company with a conscience as pure as the clothes for his son. He left the company to trusted colleagues, people as committed to his principles as he was.

We are bringing the dream of Heinz Hess to America: beautiful, natural, organic clothing from a company with a conscience.