Hala Collective is a Danish brand with roots in Lebanon, founded in 2021 by Signe Sofie Hansen. We set out to raise the bar when it comes to both period products and underwear, creating underwear that not only looks and feels amazing, but works for our bodies too. From day one, our priority has also been to minimise the impact our design and commercial decisions have on our planet.
We started Hala Collective because
having a period shouldn’t be inhibiting, polluting or unsafe. Disposable products are full of plastic, glue and bleach and uncomfortable to wear. They are also wasteful. One menstruator is estimated to use up to 16,000 disposable sanitary products in their lifetime, and disposable period products are the fifth most found plastic waste in our oceans and take up to 800 years to decompose. Worse still, studies show that chemicals in disposable pads include carcinogens, irritants, hormone disruptors and reproductive toxicants. Yet almost no one knows about this, and manufacturers are not required to disclose the materials used. This despite the fact that half of the world’s population uses these products roughly five days a month for about 30 years.
Because the reusable period solutions that exist still leave a gap. The menstrual cup is great for many, but not for all. Reusable pads move around and don’t look and feel that great. And period underwear by other brands is full of polyester (which basically is plastic and derived from fossil fuels), even when it is unnecessary. And - in our humble opinion - the styles aren't always very flattering nor comfortable with tight seams and non-breathable synthetic fabrics.
Because too much underwear is uncomfortable to wear and not properly designed to fit various body shapes and sizes well. We take fit very seriously, because if the fit is off, then the underwear is uncomfortable to use. If it’s not comfortable, then you leave it in the drawer. If it stays in the drawer, then that’s just a total waste. A waste of your money and a waste of our Earth’s resources. Almost a third of discarded garments end up in the bin simply because they don’t fit. In other words: fit and comfort are essential to keeping our clothes in active use.
We started Hala Collective because choosing underwear shouldn’t be a choice between comfort, functionality, safety and style.
Because products should be developed to correspond to actual needs. In a time and age, where we are increasingly overshooting our planet’s boundaries, any product should, first and foremost, be made to matter. That’s why we prioritise thorough sampling, inclusive sizing and fit development, and collaborate closely with our customers and community of Hala Discoverers to test and refine. We commit to researching, thinking creatively, and exploring materials and standards. This all takes a lot of time and prolongs the launch of new products, but we decide to put in the work because we believe it is necessary.
Because slow fashion is the future. Textile production and consumption put a massive pressure on our climate and environment, and the research is clear: we need to slow down. In fact, in the EU, textiles constitute the fourth most taxing consumption category, only surpassed by what we eat, the roofs over our heads, and transportation. Most of it, around 70% percent, is synthetic, releasing microplastics each time it is washed. And it also comes with a human cost: textile workers, primarily women in the Global South, are often paid derisory wages and forced to work long hours in appalling conditions. The use of chemicals in clothes production also raises serious health concerns, both for the workers and the wearers. And don’t get us started on textile waste.
And because we want to redefine what running a successful business means. To us, that has everything to do with creating products that matter to the wearer, developed in close collaboration with our community and suppliers. Even if it takes longer or costs more. And it means creating an organisational culture that puts people at the front, valuing flexibility, diversity and balance. That holds meaning for us.
