Martin Drake-Knight (right) and brother Rob modelling their Met Office clothing range.
Met Office designs for eco clothing company
An eco-clothing company set up by an Exeter alumnus and his brother has won a prestigious contract with the Met Office.
Martin Drake-Knight and brother Rob set up the clothing range Rapanui using eco fabrics and operating from a wind-powered factory. They’ve now released specially created t-shirts with the Met Office. The range is designed with British weather-related humour in mind.
Martin graduated from the Cornwall campus with a degree in Renewable Energy two years ago and Rob took a business degree at nearby Plymouth University.
“We moved back to the Isle of the Wight where we come from and when we couldn’t get jobs there we decided to create our own,” Martin explained.
The pair set up their own eco label with traceability at the core – customers can see exactly where and how the products were made, from the initial seed being sewn, right through to transportation.
Rapanui has already won several awards include a RSPCA Good Business Award for Innovation in Fashion, the Sustainable Business Awards and The Sustain Governance Awards. The company also employs eight people.
“At Rapanui we think that it’s not that people don’t care about climate and the environment, it’s just that they don’t know where to start when it comes to organic, ethical or low carbon alternatives,” said Martin.
“Our brand is about making eco fashion cool and accessible. We were delighted when we were invited to design these Met Office t-shirts. I think as well as being a nod to the Met Office’s heritage and expertise, we managed to add a bit of ‘Britishness’ and humour to capture the spirit of ‘the weather’ as a subject.”
Luke Green from the Met Office said: "Weather fascinates everybody and this clothing provides a fun way of reaching new audiences about the work the Met Office does. We are delighted to be working with Rapanui again to design and produce this new collection which is the first step in developing new collaborations to promote our brand."
More information about Rapanui and the Met Office t-shirts is available on their website.
Date: 5 January 2012
