FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Style Yourself in Hemp to Keep Yourself Stylish and Sustainable!

We’ve all heard the horror stories of fast fashion. Textile production produces 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas every year. The United Nations estimates that 10 percent of total global emissions come from the fashion industry. 

Investing in the sustainable fashion industry with hemp clothing is not only purchasing a durable stylish item for your closet, but you are also investing your dollars where you think it is important!

You are investing in another textile resource that is durable and sustainable. Imagine finding the bold go-to item that can be worn year-round and will last you years with small environmental impacts! 

Make a statement fashionably, sustainably, and economically! Here are a few common questions about hemp.

 Is Hemp clothing sustainable?

Hemp is sustainable in many ways...Socially, Harvesting Hemp is done by hand and produces jobs. Wanna know where our hemp comes from?

Here are the faces of Stemp from Kathmandu!
Environmentally, Hemp is not land-intensive. Producing hemp requires a relatively small amount of land to cultivate. Also, Hemp is a resilient crop that can be grown successfully with no chemical additives. This means zero fertilizers and pesticides! 

Unlike cotton which depletes the soil of nutrients, hemp can be grown consecutively for over twenty years without the soil being affected. It saves Water! Hemp uses only 1/20th amount of water as regular cotton to grow and process.

Economically, hemp can grow very rapidly and has been known to grow twice or more the speed compared to cotton. Hemp produces double the fiber yield per hectare than cotton. Clothing made of hemp fiber is lightweight and absorbent and is three times stronger than cotton. 

 How is Hemp produced into clothing? 

Hemp is cut and stripped manually of fibers that are spun into threads to produce textiles.

 Is hemp better than cotton?

Hemp produces double the fiber yield per hectare than cotton. Clothing made of hemp fiber is lightweight and absorbent and is three times stronger than cotton. Hemp resists bacterial growth and breathes excellently, preventing odors.

Does hemp biodegrade?

100% hemp is biodegradable. The fibers of hemp contain silica (sand) and biodegrade back into the sand. 

How do I wash/care for hemp clothing?

Washing : 

Hand wash or machine wash separately in cold water

Use diluted liquid mild soap or mild detergents

Do not use chlorinated bleach

Do not scrub

Ironing: 

Ironing hemp becomes easier if the fabric is slightly damp

Iron on reverse

Drying:

Line dry or use a lower heat cycle in a tumble dryer for the best results.

Hemp clothing is naturally antimicrobial, it’s able to stay smelling good for longer while also being able to resist any mold and mildew that comes along. 

Does Hemp Shrink?

Hemp clothing will shrink if dried on high heat. For drying, select tumble low or line dry.

​Do I only wear hemp in the summer?

Hemp is a great year-round material, it is built to keep you warm in Winter and cool in Summer. The unique structure of the cellulose fibers in hemp clothing produces the combination effect of breathability while being able to insulate at the same time. Imagine being able to wear your bold go-to item year-round!?

Will I get 'high' from wearing Hemp? 

This is the most common question we get! The answer to it is a simple NO. Hemp does not contain the psycho active chemicals present in Marijuana and is in fact used to make over 10,000 different products. 

​What's the difference between Marijuana and Hemp? 

Although marijuana and hemp can both come from the cannabis sativa family, they're distinctly different. Marijuana is bushier with broader leaves, while hemp is leaner with shinier leaves. It's differences in their chemical composition that really set them apart, though.

More than 100 chemical cannabinoids are found in cannabis, but the amount of these cannabinoids differs dramatically between hemp and marijuana.

Marijuana's most common cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the chemical cannabinoid associated with the plant's psychoactive effect. In marijuana, THC levels can reach 30%, depending on the strain, but THC levels in hemp are less than 0.3%.

The low levels of THC in hemp mean that, unlike marijuana, it has historically been used for industrial purposes. Hemp's rapid growth and strong fibers made it ideal for crafting durable rope, clothing, sail, and paper.

 

What are the artisan groups and/or cooperatives we employ?

Stemp has close ties with Women’s Creation Nepal, a women-led NGO that helps us recruit unemployed housewives and war crime victims and train them the necessary skills after which Stemp hires them on a project basis or full time.
 

Who is in contact with our artisans? How long have we been working with the artisan group(s)? What is the long- term working relationship that our company has with our producers?

We work directly with local artisans without any middlemen, thus making our supply chain ever so transparent.  Our artisans come from various backgrounds from all over Nepal. For eg., we source our buttons from a start-up brand that makes buttons from milk and seeds. We dye our fabrics from the cotton industry. Our products are hand-stitched by highly skilled people who have been in the industry for 25 years.   

How are living wages determined and paid?

We try to avoid putting a  price tag on the position that one holds. Rather, we jointly discuss with the employees and make sure they are well paid above the industry standard. 

Describe the location and working conditions of your artisan groups.
We have a  design studio & a retail store in the heart of Kathmandu making us very visible and accessible. Our working hours are from 10 am- 5 pm (week begins on Sunday in Nepal!) All our employees are treated with respect & equality and we constantly create a very working environment.
 

What efforts have been taken, by the artisan groups and/or our business to minimize the environmental impact from the manufacturing of the crafts ( i.e. recycling, non-hazardous materials, etc)?

At Stemp, we control our entire supply chain making us very transparent. We are strong advocates of reducing our carbon footprint and practice a very sustainable lifestyle at our workplace which can be reflected in our products. We use organic, plant-based, recycled, and up-cycled products throughout our collection.  We are a Hemp-based clothing company making us not only sustainable but also vegan and biodegradable. Throughout our supply chain, we make sure fair trade norms are practiced and honored- which is what the company stands for. 

Are our products produced from sustainable, renewable, and recycled materials?  

Our entire collection is made from Hemp combined with Organic Cotton and other recycled fibers. Most of our accessories are 100% handmade with up-cycled and recycled fibers & fabrics.  

​Who makes our clothes? 

Stemp is a vertically integrated company that integrates upstream and downstream characteristics in its supply chain management: from sourcing our raw materials to designing & manufacturing in house, we control our entire supply chain and manage our distribution and marketing strategies. We have developed strategic partnerships all along our supply chain with hemp farmers,  yarn spinners, fabric manufacturers, dyeing houses, sustainable packaging suppliers, NGO’s and local artisans from whom we source all our raw materials. Once the final products have been designed and mass-manufactured, we distribute it worldwide to our partner stores as well as display it for sale in our flagship store in the heart of Kathmandu, Nepal.

Manufacturing Capabilities 

Services:

• Design & Consulting

• Cut Make Trim (CMT)

• Pattern Making

• Small Scale Manufacturing 

• Mass Manufacturing

• Private Label Orders

• Hemp Fabric Manufacturing

• Raw Materials Sourcing 

• Wholesale supply

• E-commerce

• Boutique orders

 

What is Stemp's Corporate Social Responsibility? 

In our efforts to give back to the community that has supported us, we have built a tight relationship with an orphanage on the outskirts of Kathmandu where we not only routinely mentor the kids and provide financial support, but have also dedicated two educational scholarships to the top students. Moving further, we want to sponsor every child's education as we believe the development of society lies in educating our kids. We are in the process of incorporating ‘give back’ schemes where our customers can donate to our cause directly.

We hope that we’ve answered all your hemp related questions and that you’re ready to move onto a more resilient and sustainable wardrobe!