Lately we see Belgian brand Captain Cork increasingly pop up on the internet and also at Blogzine we are under its spell. But why does this sustainable brand convince us so much? And what plans does it have for the future?
Passion leads the way
For Ina De Quint, the founder of Captain Cork, her brand is more than just a name, it’s a way of life, combined with a passion for sustainability. All the products in her collections are made of cork tree. Next to the store in Antwerp, where you can find all her collections, you can also visit a kind of expedition in which Ina shows how she works ecologically with cork trees.
Ina was inspired by her deceased father who was very busy with ecology. She soon had a great interest in the material from the cork tree. This created the ideal name for her brand: Captain Cork.
“The name of my brand comes from my father. We always called him the captain and he was very busy with ecology and sustainability.”
Cork trees from Portugal
It was her father who had a house in Portugal and had plans to build this house completely ecologically. His biggest dream was to spend his retirement there. This was a great source of inspiration for Ina.
Cork trees are mainly found in beautiful Portugal and soon Ina had a big attraction with the material. It is one of the biggest ecological and sustainable materials you can handle. But also further the whole product process is natural and no chemicals are added.
Captain Cork has a very wide range of products. Mouth masks, handbags but also yoga material and toys can be found in the webshop. Besides the fact that they all look very hip, they are all made out of cork.
New collections
The brand also offers a whole new, trendy ‘back to school’ collection. This collection is mainly inspired by Ina’s daughter. Being a mom Ina herself experienced that most schoolbags often consist of heavy material. Cork is a handy solution. The ‘back to work’ collection with trendy laptop bags also flowed from this collection.
Leather of the 21st century
Ina’s mission will always be to make people aware of her projects and their effects. She wants to convince the world of the positive effects that cork has. According to her, cork is the leather of the 21st century. In addition, she hopes to inspire many other companies about the sustainability of her brand.
Ina loves cork and she realizes how grateful she is to Portugal for this great material. That’s why she works exclusively with Portuguese studios. Moreover, she also invests in cork forest in Portugal.
And finally, her big dream is also to let cork take over the world. This by opening stores in big cities like Paris, Amsterdam or where there is too little knowledge about the sustainable aspect of cork.
Until then she can only advise other people who have a dream to go for what you want. She founded her own company in a very difficult period. Her father died, she was fired from her job at the time and she literally felt as if the ground was disappearing under her feet. Soon she realized that things had to fall apart to make room for new things. So if you’re creative, have ideas or dreams, go for it. Because life is not enough to ignore this part of yourself.
