“I want to be the change I want to see! I created Well Rounded for my son, for all the children who are unknowingly exposed to serious health risks simply by wearing underwear. They don’t deserve the mess of a planet we leave them. We should do better--as adults, as parents, as citizens, as human beings--or at least try. Well Rounded is my attempt to do my bit. Because someone had to do it.” These are the convictions of Well Rounded's founder, Katia Dayan Vladimirova, which led her to create her startup in November 2021.

Dayan Vladimirova, a university researcher specialising in ethical and political issues relating to the climate and global warming--and therefore already aware of the problems associated with fast fashion and the environment--discovered while looking for secondhand underwear for her four-year-old son that none existed...

Worse still, she came across a Greenpeace study on the dangers of the dyes used in underwear, which she describes as having characteristics that are “each more mind-boggling than the last.” These dyes can cause skin reactions, disrupt the hormonal system and, in the worst cases, cause cancer. “And nobody’s talking about this?” she asks, bewildered.

After reading another study by Harvard’s Shanna Swan, which established a link between the drop in sperm count and fertility in the United States and the substances present in our daily environment-- in particular the plastic found in our underwear--Dayan Vladimirova decided to launch her startup in order to “give her child a chance to have children in the future.”

No plastic or chemicals

Although she lives in Geneva, in January 2022 Dayan Vladimirova applied for the Circular by Design Challenge, organised by Luxinnovation, and was selected. This intensive 12-week programme enabled her to “work on transforming her project into a viable business.” It was a lengthy process that eventually paid off, with Well Rounded winning the prize for best circular fashion startup.

The project is progressing. All that remains is to convert all these efforts into a concrete product. Easier said than done, especially when the product “has to tick all the boxes.” In other words, underwear that is plastic-free, chemical-free and made from 100% cotton. Because although many brands claim to offer 100% cotton underwear, they often include a small amount of elastane--a synthetic fibre derived from petroleum--or polyester, a type of plastic. These are materials that are not only harmful to the environment, but also to our health.

After two and a half years of work and seven prototypes designed: Eureka! Dayan Vladimirova finally had a product that met her requirements: beige underwear--the natural colour of cotton--with no dyes, and Oeko-Tex 100 class 1 certification, the strictest standard for the use of chemicals, generally reserved for baby products.

To replace the elasticity usually provided by elastane in conventional underwear, the company director has opted for natural rubber, a much more environmentally-friendly alternative that costs “seven to eight times more.” This is one of the reasons why the fast fashion industry rejects this method, and why Well Rounded doesn’t offer prices as attractive as the big chains (€45 for a pack of three pairs of pants for children, €65 for women and €75 for men).

To reduce Well Rounded’s carbon footprint, the cotton is harvested in Greece and assembled in Portugal. This production chain--which stretches 6,500 km from the cotton field to Well Rounded’s head office--has been optimised “to be as eco-responsible as possible.” By way of comparison, this figure can be up to ten times higher in the fast fashion industry.

“A product I’m proud of”

Since April, Dayan Vladimirova’s underwear range has been available on her website. It’s “a product I’m proud of,” she says. But the entrepreneur has no intention of stopping there, and this Friday 20 September will see the opening of her first physical shop at the Lët’z Refashion Center in Hamilius. “I came back to Luxembourg because a natural partnership was formed during the Circular by Design Challenge.” Another reason that encouraged her to return was the Luxembourg market. “There’s a great diversity of nationalities and languages, which is why many startups launch their projects here. I think Luxembourg is a good strategic choice for starting a business.”

When asked if there are any other projects in the pipeline, Dayan Vladimirova replies enthusiastically, her mind brimming with ideas: “I don’t think the world needs more clothes, but everyone needs basics.” That’s why she's planning to launch a range of classic garments--short- and long-sleeved tee-shirts, shorts and trousers--that meet the same standards as her underwear, because “these are clothes that are close to our bodies and have a direct impact on our health.”

Other ideas include a multifunctional garment, “which could be worn on all occasions, so you don’t have to buy several.” Her favourite idea remains the creation of 100% cotton yoga pants, “all our sports clothes are made of plastic, and I think it’s a shame to take care of our health, only to develop cancer because of the harmful particles in our clothes.”

“I think I’ve already managed to create enough stock of sustainable underwear for my son until they get old,” she lets out with a smile. Like a starting point rather than an end point.

This article was originally published in .