The Komodo label was set up in 1988, with the specific aims of designing clothes, creating employment in developing countries and also for Joe Komodo and his friends.

The brand was born from the Acid House Summer of Love, and provided a chance to express feelings about the wonderful places and faces involved in production, and a vehicle to spread good vibes and messages by using natural and eco-friendly fabrics, dyes, and traditional hand made local skills.

Komodo has become a well known worldwide brand, working with eco-friendly materials and following a phylosophy of ethical business and social responsibility. Komodo is exporting all over the world to dedicated komodo retailers, has it's own stores in a few European countries and a brand new online shop.

Why Organic ?

We believe its a privilege of our civilisation for eveyone to dress up with Style - but its also the responsibility of the Fashion Design team to make the style sustainable.

Eversince I saw how manufacturing garments can and does pollute the environment I felt it was only common sense and common decency to make our clothes with respect for mother nature and for the good people who actually do the hard job of patching all these cool garments together.

However our raison d'etre is Style and so Komodo has always been fashion first, and then the organic, hempy, hand made benefits are the bonus ball! I see many new 'Eco Labels ' where they seem to be saying "buy our stuff, its organic" - but i've seen over 20 years that people will just not buy clothes without style... (even in Glastonbury!)

It is good to finally see the emergence of Eco and Fair Trade clothing in so many brands and stores. Clealry the public support the choices this allows them the real relief this gives our over stressed environment. Soon I hope organic clothing will catch up with organic food - it is our hope for the future...

Komodo is proud to soon be celebrating 20 years in business, still in one piece, still independent and still working with many of the same family run factories in Bali and Kathmandu that we started out with at the end of the 80's and early 90's. It is the style of these long term partnerships and joint commitments to grow a brand and to find better ways to make more eco friendly products in a stable and creative team that to me means 'sustainability' and 'fair business'.

We dont have a stack of certificates and awards, you cant find our stuff in Selfridges or Harrods... we just do what we do and we hope that you like it !

 
Joe Komodo says... Soups Up !

Joe Komodo says:

‚It was 1986 when I started the business, recycling old Levi’s jeans into patchwork Jackets in Brick Lane ...

So now, 20 years later I can say....what a long strange trip it’s been!

Komodo was always about going back to the places I had loved so much as an early back- packer, and about working with small factories and local craftsmen to make an east-west collaboration that was good for both sides ... we have seen many styles of fashion come and go ...and come back again!

... We have seen many shops and brands come and go too - we have had to bend in the wind , but stay true to our roots ..they have served us well.

We don’t often get the acclaim and attention of other bigger brands, but that’s ok with us. We have our admirers who know we have our own style and they keep going back to the independent stores to buy our collections, all across Europe , the States , Japan and in Asia too.’

‘We are on a new growth spurt these days, attracting new and stronger clients to take us more seriously as we continue to bring out innovative and impressive styles at very competitive prices .

The new collection is closer to designer wear than street wear, but the prices are street wear and we are happy to keep the brand accessible and friendly ...’

‘ A natural mix o’ yarn n’ style part hand-made, part technological guile. A home-grown spirit, a global feel…

Fair business for everyone - that’s the real deal! It’s fashion, spiced up with Jazz n’ Hip-Hop…

Get it live n’ direct from the Komodo shop!’

This signature poem is as true today, as it ever has been…

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