Behind NIKIN is a young and active team from Switzerland that wants to give something back to nature – through sustainable and fair fashion, with a tree being planted for every product sold.
"Tree by Tree" – one tree after another. Nikin's slogan symbolizes their goal and philosophy. With their success, they invest in tree-planting programs to counteract global deforestation. The trees are planted in places where they had previously disappeared for various reasons, such as agriculture, the timber industry, habitat loss, or natural events (forest fire, drought, ...). A single tree won't change the world overnight, but NIKIN plants "Tree by Tree" – tree by tree – making the world a greener place.
Nikin introduced the term "TreeWear," which evolved from the popular term "StreetWear," simply with the added effect that a tree is planted for every product. Tree by tree, the world doesn't change from one day to the next, but it is a step in the right direction.
In the winter of 2016, the Swiss fashion and lifestyle brand "NIKIN" was launched from Lenzburg (AG). The brand was founded by Nicholas Hänny (1991) and Robin Gnehm (1992), a business student and an industrial design student, who have known each other since early childhood. The two former scouts and skaters had long wanted to start a joint project, which was finally realized through NIKIN.
Their vision was a fashion label with an ecological impact. Robin, who had just returned to Switzerland from a trip through Canada's vast forests, designed a logo that, as it quickly turned out, was a huge hit with the public. After the launch, when orders piled up just before Christmas, the two quickly realized that they could no longer handle it alone. With Lester and Jeffrey, Robin's two brothers, reinforcements were brought on board in the areas of logistics and communication. Since then, the NIKIN team has maintained a very familial relationship, which is certainly one reason for their success. The entire NIKIN family is always there to help and support wherever they can.
It is important to NIKIN to always be innovative, modern, and open-minded, while also being sustainable and fair. That's why they place great importance on environmentally friendly and fair production. In the beginning, it was not easy to find and finance appropriate production. With their success, they were able to get closer to their goal – shifting production from Asia to Europe – and so today almost all of their products are exclusively manufactured in Europe.
Since January 2019, NIKIN and its products have been officially certified by "GOTS" (Global Organic Textile Standard), which guarantees sustainable and fair production.
The textiles largely consist of organic cotton in combination with recycled polyester. Other products are made from various sustainable alternatives such as bamboo or cotton from recycled jeans. NIKIN is always honest with itself and knows that they are not perfect – but they are constantly striving to improve and are daily looking for even better, more sustainable, and fairer solutions to get closer to their goal.
At NIKIN, only tree-free paper made from bamboo or waste from the sugar cane industry is used. Of course, the personalized tree certificate that every customer receives in addition to their order is completely tree-free.
