Animal relaunches online with eco-friendly offering

British fashion and lifestyle brand Animal is relaunching for summer 2021 with 400 sustainable products.

Poole-based Animal ceased trading a year ago citing an “extremely challenging retail market,” worsened by Covid-19.

At the time, previous owners, H Young Holdings PLC couldn’t find any takers for the brand, however, Mountain Warehouse has confirmed that it acquired the fashion and lifestyle retailer earlier this year and is relaunching it online with an eco-friendly offering.

New owners Mountain Warehouse said that the Animal UK relaunch comes at a time “where appreciation for the environment is at an all-time high, with lockdown encouraging the public to take solace and inspiration from the outdoors”.

Mark Neale, founder of Mountain Warehouse, said in a statement: “We are delighted to welcome Animal to the Mountain Warehouse family. My surfing days may be over, but I still have a few classic Animal pieces from the brand’s heyday.

“We are now hugely excited about introducing Animal to a new generation of enthusiasts and I’m sure that our use of recycled and organic fabrics will appeal to today’s conscientious consumer.”

Mountain Warehouse acquires Animal and aims to make it a sustainable fashion brand

To relaunch the fashion and lifestyle brand, the new Animal in-house design team have taken inspiration from Animal’s board sports heritage to create a range of authentic, trend-led, and eco-friendly products. The spring/summer 2021 collection includes more than 400 products across categories including men’s, women’s, kidswear, accessories, swimwear, and footwear.

Sustainability is at the heart of Animal UK’s evolution, added Mountain Warehouse, and the brand will be using responsibly resourced materials across the range “wherever possible” as well as using more sustainable packaging.

Featured in the range are well-established sustainable fabric partners such as Econyl regenerated nylon, Tencel branded lyocell fibres and Lenzing Ecovero branded viscose fibres, as well as organic cotton. Animal has also committed to using 100 percent PFC-free products.

In addition, Animal UK has also partnered with ReGain, who help divert product from landfill and contribute to a circular environmental retail model.

Animal UK to focus on sustainability for relaunch following 2020 collapse

Highlights from the relaunched spring/summer 2021 collection include some of Animal’s historic bestsellers with an environmentally friendly upgrade such as flip flops, slogan tees, and hoodies, with organic cotton T-shirts and hoodies, and recycled rash vests, swimsuits and jackets.

All products will have a 365-day guarantee, added Mountain Warehouse, as part of its promise to deliver on product quality.

Sizes range from 6 – 20 for womenswear, XS to XXL in menswear and 5-6 to 13 years for kidswear.

Animal will begin trading on its relaunched website, Animal.co.uk from May 27 with its spring/summer 2021 collection. Its autumn/winter 2021 range will launch in September.

While Mountain Warehouse said it plans to keep the two brands separate, it also added that it will be selecting several UK stores to carry a capsule collection of Animal products as part of its plan to re-engage customers.

Animal UK first launched in 1987, with a single product designed by two surfers off the coast of Dorset, the ‘Hoop and Loop’ watchstrap, which quickly gained recognition amongst the water sports community.