Kowtow is a sustainable, slow-fashion pioneer offering an ethical alternative to high street brands. Founded in 2006 in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand by Gosia Piatek, this seed-to-garment label designs and manufactures garments made from 100% Fairtrade and GOTS-certified organic cotton—crafted using a regenerative, single-fiber philosophy. Every piece is completely plastic-free and traceable, reflecting a radical transparency ethos. Their products are crafted in a thoughtfully designed slow production chain, with unique in-house fabrics and minimal trims—from OEKO-TEX-approved natural buttons to organic cotton thread—ensuring longevity, beauty, and circularity.
Kowtow
Kowtow is a sustainable, slow-fashion pioneer offering an ethical alternative to high street brands. Founded in 2006 in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand by Gosia Piatek, this seed-to-garment label designs and manufactures garments made from 100% Fairtrade and GOTS-certified organic cotton—crafted using a regenerative, single-fiber philosophy. Every piece is completely plastic-free and traceable, reflecting a radical transparency ethos. Their products are crafted in a thoughtfully designed slow production chain, with unique in-house fabrics and minimal trims—from OEKO-TEX-approved natural buttons to organic cotton thread—ensuring longevity, beauty, and circularity.
Transparency
- Kowtow’s entire supply chain is GOTS and Fairtrade certified.
- They have a detailed supply chain operations map available on their website, and they are committed to improving their supply chain traceability.
- Kowtow has prioritized supply chain transparency over introducing new fibers and materials for their garments.
- Kowtow eliminated the use of Lenzing Tencel, ZQ Merino Wool, and regenerated Nylon as they were complicating Kowtow’s supply chain. They now only use Fairtrade organic cotton for their garment offerings.
Fair Labor
- FLO certified farmer groups receive a premium every season dedicated to community projects such as medical cost, books for children, farmers education, training and upgrades, irrigation schemes for conserving rainwater, and clothes for children.
- Kowtow visits both of their manufacturers in India twice a year.
- Kowtow factories are SA8000 certified guaranteeing makers a minimum wage, social security fund, pension fund, paid holiday leave, sick pay, medical insurance, subsidized lunches, overtime pay and workplace unions.
- They are also Living Wage NZ accredited, ensuring all of their 48 employees are earning at least the living wage.
Sustainably Made
- Kowtow uses organic, renewable, and biodegradable fabrics.
- They use GOTS approved inks, dyes, and washes, free from harmful chemicals and toxic metals.
- Kowtow trims are tested by OEKO-TEX to ensure they are free from harmful chemicals and safe for human use.
- They use only Forestry Stewardship Certification (FSC) or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified cardboard and paper fibre in their packaging.
- Kowtow’s garments are transported to distribution warehouses in certified commercially compostable corn starch biobags.
- Kowtow has partnered with commercial composters, EnviroFert who have composted approximately 60,000 biobags for Kowtow.
- They also engage in circularity through their garment repair and take back program, which helps reduce the amount of clothes that end up in landfills.
