Ternua

Fashionable functional clothes and everyday wear for people close to nature, who like adventures and enjoy being in the outdoors. Ternua stands for sustainability and commitment, the brand can be seen as a synonym for the relationship between human and earth.

More about Ternua

Why is Ternua a WIR DENKEN UM brand?

Sustainable, respectful and adventurous − that is the motivation that gave birth to the Ternua brand in 1994. As a WIR DENKEN UM brand, Ternua stands out in the following ways:

- The company is committed to accountability throughout the supply chain
- It prides itself on environmentally friendly, resource-saving production and is driving material innovations such as Colorcycle and Seacycle
- Ternua is a member of EOCA and actively promotes environmental protection

Inspired by bold whalers

"The spirit of the Basque whalers, which is essentially adventurism, respect and permanent improvement, is the source of our inspiration." The whalers from Terranova (in Basque: Ternua) of over five hundred years ago and their desire for permanent improvement inspired the brand to spread a message of mountains, nature, adventure, solidarity and respect for the environment.

Since its inception, Ternua has been committed to embracing new ideas and seeking alternative, environmentally friendly methods in product manufacturing. For example, organic cotton, recycled materials, like recycled feathers for insulation or recycled wool, and PFC-free impregnations are used. Ternua is helping to clean up oceans of plastic through Seacycle, a project championed by Ternua and carried out in collaboration with AZTI-TECNALIA, the Basque Government (IHOBE) and EKO-REC. It uses post-consumer bottles collected from the sea and from plastic waste containers to produce sustainable garments. With Colorcycle, Ternua promotes the use of agricultural waste such as walnut shells, olives and chestnut shells to produce natural dyes for garments.

NON GOGOA, HAN ZANGOA

Your steps follow your thoughts. There’s probably no better way to describe Ternua’s philosophy than this Basque saying. Ternua bursts with excitement for adventure, respect and continuous improvement – thus, the source of inspiration is the exact same one as those of the Basque whale hunters, in whose cultural heritage the people at Ternua see themselves. The whale hunters from Terranova also were eponymous for the Basque company. Furthermore, roughly 500 years ago, they laid the foundation for Ternua’s corporate philosophy: the message of environmental protection and excitement for our nature.

Ternua has “an active commitment with environmental associations and campaigns”. Right at the beginning – when the company was founded in 1994 – Ternua adopted four whales, organised by the Whale and Dolphin conservation (WDC). The connection to nature, and especially to whales, is also reflected by the brands logo which show a whale fin.

So, nature loving people who want to protect our planet and its natural resources, simply cannot make a better choice than snatching Ternua jackets or pants. The connection with nature is of major importance for the Basque brand. By mainly concentrating on the use of natural resources, nature is not going to be harmed at all. Wow much better can the prospects get for your next mountaineering, trail running or trekking experience?

THE INTERACTION OF SUSTAINABILITY AND HIGH-END QUALITY

No question: it’s not really an easy task to combine the love for nature with high-quality outdoor apparel. After all, this means to tear down some severe self-imposed brick walls. Quality and transparency – within the products themselves as well as during manufacturing – is the answer of Ternua. The goal: to develop progressive, future-oriented and, of course, sustainable solutions. A decisive way to success on this quest surely is the use of recycled materials. The list of materials recycled by Ternua is fairly long: nylon from thrown away carpets, nylon tissue from disposed fishing nets, remanufactured feathers, agricultural wastes such as walnut shells, and even coffee beans.

Let’s talk about walnut shells

Because of the fact that Ternua puts a great emphasis on high-quality and multifunctional equipment, the brand regularly invests in material and tissue research, always looking for the most innovative way of manufacturing. Walnut shells may be the perfect example for this modus operandi. When it became clear that the use of artificial colourants can be avoided by using natural colourants, agricultural wastes came into play. In combination with the Basque (food) culture, in which cider restaurants are insanely popular and where, each and every year, tons of walnuts are eaten as a dessert, the opportunity arose to create natural colourants from organic wastes.

Combinded with fabrics from recycled polyester and recycled cotton, the most sustainable pieces of clothing in the history of the company were created. Ternua is heavily involved throughout this entire process, from the test phase till the process of manufacturing. The Basques control every single step in order to make sure that the company’s values are greatly represented. Thus, the resulting design is a mix of lifestyle, life philosophy, message, quality, and empathy toward nature. Give it a try!