An interview with Lexi&Bö: fashion for divers - for the love of the sea
For the love of the oceans
Lexi&Bö on protecting the oceans, fashion for divers and the boot Düsseldorf
Like many scuba divers, Stefan Böhland and Alexa Neuhaus had for long been looking for high-quality T-shirts wittily and creatively showing their passion for diving. Finally, in the summer of 2014, they simply founded their own label "Lexi&Bö" - and have taken the diving community by storm since their first appearance at the boot Düsseldorf 2015. A crowdfunding campaign facilitated their start of production under the slogan "eco. fair. friendly."
Lexi&Bö does not only stand for lifestyle fashion, but also for environmental protection, ecological production and fair working conditions. It is a good example for the campaign "love your ocean" at the boot 2018. In the following interview Stefan Böhland and Alexa Neuhaus tell us why they are so happy to be there:
You founded Lexi&Bö with the help of crowdfunding and therefore know how much can be achieved together. What do you expect of the "love your ocean" campaign at boot Düsseldorf?
We hope it will create great response from the visitors. As most of them are active in some kind of watersport, whether above or under water, environmental issues should not leave anyone cold. The campaign raises awareness for the sea as a living space among visitors and exhibitors alike. It would just be great if one or the other will actively dedicate himself to its protection after the fair. Be it by his own actions or just by talking about the issue to others. For example, "love your ocean" could help bring about a rethinking in dealing with plastics. The deliberate refusal to use of plastic bags or microplasics in body scrubs would be a huge step forward in our view.
Your mantra is "Look good, feel good." Why is the topic of sustainability important to you as a diver?
Well, as a diver you do recognize how much garbage actually floats in our oceans. Whether it is plastic or a ghost net, car tires or diesel on the surface. There are not many places where you do not see any garbage or pollution, at all. In our training as a diver, we learned from our instructor that it is a kind of honour code of divers to leave no garbage in the sea. And when a plastic bag just floats past you, it's no big deal to pack it into your jacket.
To be sure, that is only a drop in the ocean, but since we have been diving, we have become much more environmentally aware. Abd when we decided to start our fashion label, it was immediately clear to us that we should not pollute or exploit the environment. So to us, only sustainable and socially fair production was an option, at all. And the quality and feel of the fabrics is even better like that - what more could you ask for?
Which projects in marine protection do you support and why exactly these? - Also tell us about your T-shirt auction!
Most recently, we supported a campaign by the marine conservation organization Yaqu Pacha. It was about the protection of bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Brazil. Due to the heavy traffic in that area, the animals keep stranding on shore, are injured by the ship's propellers or end up in fishing nets. Yaqu Pacha supports a research team at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande with donations in cash and in kind. By researching how dolphins use their habitat, the researchers can now take protective measures for the dolphins. They even achieved a change in the law to protect the dolphins. This convinced us very much and we have great confidence that our donations really arrive where they are needed.
New fundraising campaign for Yaqu Pacha
For December, we are planning a new fundraiser for Yaqu Pacha. This time it's about protecting the Vaquitas in the Gulf of California, because there are only 30 of those beautiful little whales left. They are on the verge of extinction because they die in fishing nets one after the other. We are planning a T-shirt auction to raise money for the conservation of these animals. The proceeds of the auction will be given to Yaqu Pacha and thus to the Vaquitas.
Do you have any other plans that you would like to share with our users?
Many of our customers have asked for kids' T-shirts. We loved the idea and did not hesitate to implement it. For half a year now we have been working on Lexi&Bö for Kids and will be able to present the collection soon. Right at the top of our wish list is a sustainably produced Rashguard with UV protection. We are currently looking for suppliers of recycled elastane and nylon yarns. If someone can help us, we would be very happy to receive a message!
Thanks a lot for the interview and good luck for your activities!
