Banana Suits
The stories behind them
Creating something is a chance to tell a new story
Since 2022 I have been using banana suits to help make a bigger impact in my mission and plogging.. to put it quite simply; IT GETS ME SEEN! and more importantly.. IT GETS WHAT I AM DOING .. SEEN!
But the problem with the banana suits you can buy online it that they are plastic trash.. synthetic suits designed to be single-use really. Three washes and they would be ruined.
That was why I always had a filthy and smelly banana suit; I was avoiding washing it, to make it last longer!
So, when I turned into a 'Professional Plogger', high on my To Do list was 'make a sustainable banana suit'
I didn't want to just get a suit made though. I wanted it to tell its own story. A chance to celebrate something else.
That is exactly what these suits do
Why the banana suit?
The story of how it began
June 2022 - I was invited as part of the Brooks Ambassador Team to attend a shoe launch in Portugal.
Brooks during that time had a thing with banana suits - every event you went to during that time featured a people running around in banana suits.
The Brooks person who managed the ambassador team can up to me and said
"We have a spare banana suit. Would you wear it?"
She knew I would say yes, but I actually said "Yes, but only if I can keep it!"
She agreed.. so I wore it
The first time I wore a banana suit
So that was how I got the banana suit. But it doesn't tell why I started to plog in it
I came home and didn't think anything about it until the Grachtenloop (a local race). I wasn't running but plenty of friends were, so I thought, "I should wear the banana suit, that will be fun to cheer them on in!"
And wow.. the impact was immediate.
Everyone was laughing and smiling at me. It got me noticed!
So, that gave me the idea of wearing it while plogging.
For fun.. to put a smile on people's faces.
But most of all; TO BE SEEN!
When you pick up a piece of trash, it makes an impact. But when people see you doing it, you can make a difference.
It has now become 'my thing'
And I have done crazy challenges in it, but really, I just wear it to get what I do seen.. so you might see me just plogging around Haarlem in it on a regular week day
Eric Coolen (a well respected and local artist even made this awesome drawing for me
So, that's the story of why..
Let's now talk about the very special outfits that have been made for me
The Patagonia and Atelier Revive suits
The Patagonia Suit
First off all - I am not sponsored by Patagonia. They simply made this for me to help support what I do.
So, how the hell did I convince Patagonia to make me a suit?!!
Well, to answer that you need to read the bit above and how I got the first suit.
Remember that Brooks rep that got me the first suit?
Well, she went off to work for Patagonia! It's as simple as that.
I basically contacted her and said; "you are the one that started this all, so let's go big and get Patagonia to make me one!"
Patagonia EU/Amsterdam loved the idea and now I have a custom made banana suit!
The Patagonia Story
The story that this banana suit tells is simply the sustainability mission that Patagonia and I share.
It celebrates the repair service that Patagonia have (go to their Amsterdam store and you will see a sewing machine near the entrance - that is used for repairs.
The banana suit celebrates that story.
The suit itself is made from defect jackets that they couldn't sell. They would either be repaired and sold as non-perfect items or they would be used for repairs.
What I love about this suit is that it has pockets! Those are just the standard pockets that the jackets have.
Carl, who made the suit so brilliantly, is also an ultra runner and you can tell that from the position of the pockets. Perfect for running hahaha
Use case: this suit is my 'adult suit' - I wear it around adults as they tend to know the value of the Patagonia brand.
The Atelier Revive Suit
This story was one of those chance meets.
Something that was 'just meant to be'
I was invited to visit the Sustainable Packaging Fair. I went in my old plastic banana suit just for fun.
On the agenda were various keynote speakers. You could choose which you wanted to attend.
I chose the one with Minke from Atelier Revive.
She told her story and it was such an inspirational story that I thought.. I should ask her if she wants to make me a suit.
I am so glad she said yes and let me tell the story of her aletlier in Ede.
The Atelier Revive Story
Atelier Revive is a story about women empowerment.
The atelier is a foundation that helps employ local women to find their place in the community.
And it does it through upcycling old fabrics.
Women who sit outside of the community for various reasons.
Maybe they don't speak the language well - Atelier Revive give Dutch lessons
Maybe they don't have working skills - Atelier Revive helps them learn to sew.
It is a great atelier that makes products from second hand fabric and so was a perfect fit.
Use case: this is my children's banana suit. They love the shiny banana on the front! Perfect for schools.