Over the past 10 years within the fashion industry there has been a trend towards minimalist logos. This trend kick-started by Yves Saint Laurent was soon followed by fashion houses, Calvin Klein, Balenciaga, Balmain and Burberry. The ideology was to make these brands more global by moving away from specific references to their heritage and simplifying their form.

BYBROWN is the exception that proves the rule, going against this trend and making a bold statement with our new logo. Over the years BYBROWN has become an innovator within the world of rainwear. With our tailoring approach we challenge the very boxy silhouette associated with rainwear.

Innovation and movement have always been part of BYBROWN’s DNA. We believe in the power of change and reinvention.
Thus when we saw the opportunity to collaborate on a brand new project, involving both our fashion expertise and our care for eco-responsibility, we just had to do it!

 We wanted to make an effort to upcycle these perfectly functioning tents and mattresses that were now seen as waste and this in turn was how the BAG PROJECT was born. We developed patterns for a variety of bags and then got to work producing them.

We endeavour to encourage us all as individuals to reflect on our own relationship to the items that we buy and think of how we can increase their longevity and discard them when they are no longer serving us. Do we donate them? Do we upcycle them?

These bags will be offered as a premium alternative to a paper bag with the purchase of a coat at our Berenstraat Pop up, that you will be hearing about very soon.

Join the Pipe is an Amsterdam-based community of tap water drinkers.
This foundation is committed to a world with less plastic waste, and in which everyone, everywhere in the world, has access to safe drinking water.
They promote drinking tap water from reusable bottles and refill stations.
In 2021 Join the Pipe sent six sea containers with bottles and water stations to Benin, Kenya en Gambia.
The foundation uses 100% of their profits in developing countries, promoting clean drinking water, healthy living conditions and tackling plastic pollution at its source.

We are happy to collaborate with Join the Pipe, supporting their work in the form of a customised BYBROWN reusable bottle.

BYBROWN is not selling the bottles for profit but are providing you with the opportunity to donate to this very worthwhile cause.
For every bottle that you buy a bottle is donated to a school in Africa providing the children with a sustainable way to carry drinking water and educating
them on the distribution of water and the problems around single use plastics, showing how the local community can be part of the solution.

When buying a BYBROWN coat you have the choice to receive a water bottle for free, BYBROWN will make a donation to Join the Pipe on your behalf.

Buy a bottle and donate to join the pipe.

The BYBROWN bottle is available on our website, just click this link.

We are proud to announce that we have been selected as final participants in the WORTH II partnership project with "Rent the Rain.

We are collaborating with Hotel V and their guests at Hotel V Fizeaustraat can now explore Amsterdam in style, renting a premium, technical raincoat during their stay. This forward thinking, 3-month rental project started at the beginning of April, giving the guests protection in case of bad weather, and let's face it, the weather can be a little unpredictable when visiting Amsterdam!

How it works

The coats can be pre-booked before the guest’s stay or at reception on arrival. When a guest decides to make use of the rental service, the coat is personally delivered to them at the beginning of their stay. They can then fully enjoy Amsterdam in style, whatever the weather. When checking out, they hand the raincoat back in at reception, paying for the coat rental together with their hotel bill and continue their journey, carefree.

We are very happy to be collaborating with Macedonian-based software developer SOLS. In the next 6 months we will co-develop and implement a new sustainable business model; from single ownership to communal ownership and sharing. In this project we will develop an inclusive coat rental service that is durable and recyclable, herewith reducing single-use plastic, stimulating efficient use of resources, and shifting the consumers’ relationship with clothes. Through the rental service, we offer a convenient service that promotes circularity. Rental offers alternative ideas about consumption, moving away from ownership, and creating social impact. By replacing single-use ponchos and short-life umbrellas with recycled raincoats, we avoid waste and reduce CO2 emissions, water usage, and human toxicity potential (HTP) in production. The positive impact of our business case is further reinforced making the first steps towards a fully circular loop in which the 100% mono-polyester raincoats are up-cycled. With both SOLS’ and BYBROWN’s mission toward transforming the current fashion industries’ consumption patterns, we are very much looking forward to our collaboration. With the support and backing of the WORTH project, we believe we can challenge the status quo and contribute to the necessary change.

This initiative is supported by WORTH Partnership Project and is funded by the COSME program of the European Union for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Teaming up with Lena Library, BYBROWN is now available for renting. Visit the Lena Library store in the heart of Amsterdam or go to the web-shop.

The future of sustainable fashion is about renting our clothes and buying consciously. We have to re-think our choices and rental offers a promising, new solution to textile waste.

'Fashion is about the look and feel that clothes give you; a reflection of the individual and society. Sustainability is part of this reflection.'- Melanie Brown

LENA was founded in 2014 and is one of the first shops to introduce a loan model within the fashion industry.

“We believe in the transition to a circular fashion system, where we focus on extending the lifespan of clothing. In this way we reduce excessive amounts of purchases and utilise existing clothing more efficiently. In actual terms, this means less overproduction and less textile waste.”- Lena Library

Clothing can be borrowed via the pay-as-you-borrow system. This makes it possible to borrow flexibly and easily without being tied to anything. Each item of clothing has a daily price and can be borrowed for as long as desired. If you fall in love with a borrowed garment and you want to purchase it, you can do so with a try-before-you-buy discount.

LENA is opgericht in 2014 en introduceert als een van de eersten een leenmodel binnen de mode industrie. Wij geloven in de transitie naar een circulair mode systeem, waarbij wij ons richten op levensduurverlenging van kleding. Hiermee dringen we buitensporige hoeveelheden aankopen terug en maken efficienter gebruik van alle kleding die er al is. Dat betekent heel concreet minder overproductie en minder textielafval.
Kleding kan geleend worden via het pay-as-you-borrow systeem. Hiermee kan heel flexibel en laagdrempelig geleend worden zonder ergens aan vast te zitten. Elk kledingstuk heeft een dagprijs en mag zo lang geleend worden als gewenst. Indien een kledingstuk zo goed bevalt kan het ook aangeschaft en ontvangt de klant een try-before-you-buy korting op de aankoop.
Kleding kan online geleend worden via onze webshop of kom langs in onze fysieke winkel in hartje Amsterdam.

Altijd de perfecte outfit zonder overvolle kledingkast.

Find out more by visitingLena library's website.

BYBROWN believes that the face mask is a canvas for self-expression and a means of protection, not only for yourself but also others. We are proud to have been one of the first to make non-medical face masks in the Netherlands, providing not only protection, but comfort through an anatomical design which leaves the ears free.

When the first case of COVID-19 appeared in the Netherlands on February 27th 2020, we received advice from a close Hong Kong relative of the brand, about the benefits of wearing a face mask. We were inspired and believed that we could learn from him as he had previously experienced the SARS-outbreak in 2003. We quickly anticipated and developed an accessible design, making several masks for our friends and family, although it felt rather strange putting any layer of protection on our faces. At that time, we didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of the situation and the idea of such an intrusion on our freedom was a faraway notion in our heads.

When the Dutch government announced the closure of schools, cafes and restaurants on March 15th, it was a solid sign that the situation was serious.
After Melanie Brown posted a video of herself wearing the BYBROWN mask, a few early adopters, including Ingeborg van Lieshout, a journalist, picked up on it and were interested in getting one. After sending a mask to Ingeborg, we were unexpectedly mentioned in an article on Bright.nl (now RTLnieuws.nl). As a result, the BYBROWN website was flooded with visitors searching for the masks. For us, it felt natural to extend our offer and adapt this idea of protection to the demand. We then started producing the masks in our Amsterdam studio.

At the time, there was also a shortage of medical masks for health workers in the Netherlands, thus we felt the need to contribute by making masks according to the specifications of Buurtzorg, Buurtdiensten and Educared. For every BYBROWN mask sold, we donated two to community health workers in Brabant and The Asylum Centre in Amsterdam.
The interest in our face masks grew despite the WHO and the Dutch government's advice against wearing them. We truly believed in the advice of virologists on using face masks to help stop the spread of viruses. We hoped to offer protection to the community, bringing us a step closer to continuing life as usual. Furthermore, we discovered an opportunity to bring creativity and personality to the face masks, turning them into a fashion statement, taking them away from the sole purpose of protection.

On April 21st, we produced a limited edition of naturally dyed organic cotton masks in collaboration with Lucila Kenny. The 30 masks were dyed with the heartwood of lockwood trees which gave a beautiful purple colour. Within 48 hours, they were all sold out. Later, BYBROWN’s identity and equestrian inspiration were translated into a printed mask by artist Marnix Postma. The designs were screen printed at the AGA Lab in Amsterdam, adding craftsmanship and design value to our selection.

The month of May arrived with more features in magazines, to name a few, NRC Newspaper Magazine, thanks to Milou van Rossum and RTLnieuws.nl, thanks to Ingeborg van Lieshout who wrote an article called ‘The top 10 masks in The Netherlands’, which instantly lead to unforeseen exposure and increasing demand for face masks. Soon our production capacity couldn’t be maintained and we needed to upscale. Collaborating with our long-term manufacturing partner in Poland, who  instantly started producing the face masks following our signature pattern.

On August 12th, Willem te Wierik from CS Digital Media approached us with an exciting project. CS Digital Media invited BYBROWN to be part of an experimental new way of advertising. The idea was to set up digital advertising screens in metro stations in Amsterdam and Rotterdam featuring BYBROWN in a special campaign showcasing face masks. This was a great opportunity to encourage the wearing of high-design face masks as a fashion statement.

Throughout the past 9 months, we've experienced days with only 2 orders and those with more than 200 orders. Making and selling the face masks has been a very interesting journey for us, one where we’ve seen the ebb and flow of demand in line with the changing COVID-19 measurements. One of the most interesting aspects is taking the process from product design to upscaling and marketing, which usually takes at least 6 months, in the time scale of 6 weeks.

It’s been an adventure that has shaped us as a brand and added yet another layer to BYBROWN. It is unsure whether this product will stay with us in the future, but BYBROWN will be here to offer our tailored protection.

Now in its 8th year, the European Social Innovation Competition acts as a beacon for social innovators in Europe, facilitating a network of radical innovators shaping society for the better. Over the last few years, the competition has mobilised thousands of Europeans in an effort to create more social, environmental and economic value in our communities.
This year, the competition is themed 'Reimagine Fashion': Changing behaviours for sustainable fashion and we are happy to announce that BYBROWN was selected as a semi-finalist.

As a sustainable brand, striving to support a more circular economy, in this project we re-evaluate the true purpose of the raincoat by developing an inclusive product which is durable, 100% recyclable and rentable.
BYBROWN’s plan is to distribute the unisex, circular coat ‘CONNECT’ to Amsterdam hotels, offering hotel guests a rented raincoat on rainy days, thus offering them a more sustainable way to travel.
The idea is to move away from ownership and take the next step towards circularity, making a true impact on the use of resources and consumption attitudes.
BYBROWN’s success over the years has been driven by our aim to innovate in our design and supply chain, striving for transparency towards our consumers.

If you would like to read more about the competition in Dutch please take a look at the article from Fashion United.

Print artist Marnix Postma, an Amsterdam based artist who dedicates his work to the exploration of grids, layering and colour, takes his inspiration from the ZERO art movement. Teaming up with artist Marnix Postma, BYBROWN has designed an eco-friendly t-shirt for VOGUE ITALIA, which is available exclusively on the YOOXGEN web-shop. The t-shirt is made from deadstock modal, milk fibre and organic cotton. Marnix Postma hand printed the t-shirts with water-based ink, giving each individual t-shirt a unique touch. We used the slogan 'RESPECT BEYOND RAIN' referring to BYBROWN's belief that we have to take positive steps in sustainable production, consumption and post-consumption, creating awareness and spreading sustainable values.

In a bid to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact on this sustainable project, we printed everything on our doorstep with AGA Lab, BOUW Amsterdam. It was also crucial for us to use only water-based ink, to reduce any toxins from our special collection and keep our garments as clean as possible.

The screens were made, the ink was spread and from then on it was sheer delight. We are also excited about the fact that all of our materials used in the project are sustainable, with a mixture of organic modal and dead stock organic cotton blended with milk fibre.

Channelling a 'Zero' concept creates an uncluttered, infinite feeling of squares and grids in Postma's work. Naturally, in our collaboration, we worked with the hand printed work of Marnix, adding the BYBROWN touch in form and execution.