How it all began
The first CARPASUS collection was launched in 2015 by René Grünenfelder and Michael Zäch in Switzerland. The idea for CARPASUS was born at the end of 2013 during their studies. Rana Plaza collapsed in April in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and buried more than 1’100 textile workers. Notably this event made them reflect on how and under what environmental and social conditions our clothing and raw materials are made.
Sensitized to these problems, the CARPASUS team looked for clothes that me their standards of quality, style and high ecological and social standards. A particular garment combining style, coolness, quality, and sustainability was particularly difficult to find: the men's shirt.
The men's shirt is the most dominant piece of clothing for men. It accompanies them day in and day out. The shirt must fit well, be comfortable, easy to iron, durable and it must make us appear confident and stylish.
Convinced that it is also possible to create a stylish, high-quality shirt made from organic cotton under fair, transparent and humane working conditions, the CARPASUS founders talked to suppliers and potential customers, visited fairs and even traveled to the origins of raw materials and production sites, to learn more about the places and people behind the shirt.
The name CARPASUS and the mallard duck
The name CARPASUS derives from three words: Carbasina (Latin: fine cloth), karpasi (Sanskrit: cotton) and sustinere (Latin: preserved). As a symbol they chose the mallard duck, the "duck with the green collar". It represents the CARPASUS values and can be found today on every right sleeve vent of the CARPASUS shirts. The mallard duck lives in harmony with nature on land, in the water and in the air and symbolizes the elegance, spirit, flexibility it needs for working together and living with different cultures.
