Zeefier < Zee (sea) – fier (proud) < Ζέφυρος [Zéphyros]

Zephyr(os) was one of the Anemoi, the worshipped wind gods in ancient Greek religion and myths. As the Greek god of the west wind, Zephyr was known as the gentlest of winds, the one with a silk touch. It was a prosperous wind, necessary to reach your destination. In ancient Greece, they often called upon Zephyr for a safe journey. Homer even referenced the west wind in The Odyssey, the epic poem about Odysseus’ journey after the Trojan War. The keeper of the winds gave Odysseus a leather bag containing all the winds but the prosperous west wind, which was needed for his safe return to Ithaca.

Phonetically, Zephyr is pronounced in Dutch sound as ‘zee’ and ‘fier’, meaning ‘sea’ and ‘proud’. Being a Dutch initiative, Zeefier is proud of all the beauty the waters of the Netherlands have to offer. The purpose of Zeefier is to raise awareness on sustainability in the textile industry by proposing
seaweed as a viable resource. It will be a long journey, but one worth taking. Seaweed can, therefore, be considered as the essential west wind on the road to a more durable textile industry.

The sea has so much to offer. Which is why it needs protection. Now more than ever. Seaweed, one of the sea’s most recognizable – albeit underrated – inhabitants, has been utilized, harvested, and cultivated in coastal communities for centuries. Yet, only recently, seaweed has emerged as a novel resource for the textile industry. Seaweed doesn’t need precious agricultural ground or freshwater to grow. It even cleans the air from CO2 and produces oxygen. The textile industry is the second most polluting industry worldwide. So the change has to start right now.

70% of our world is water so there’s a lot of seaweed for our dyes.

We make the dye and dye our products at the moment in Den Haag & Amsterdam & Rotterdam.