Anouk and Jasper were looking for someone to make their sleepwear. Not just anyone—someone nearby who understood linen, who cared about how things were made.
Their designer introduced them to Giselle from Atelier Jungles in The Hague. The conversation flowed easily from the start. Seven months later, they're still working together, and every piece carries a label they're proud of: Made in the Netherlands.
Giselle runs her atelier with intention. Fair wages, sustainable choices where possible, and a team of people rebuilding their confidence through work. Some are returning after unemployment, others are finding their footing again after difficult times. The studio gives them structure and purpose.
"We can't make everything perfect," Giselle says, "but we try to make thoughtful choices at every step."
For Anouk, the transparency matters most. Giselle shares the process openly—the challenges, the progress, the reality of small-batch production. It's refreshing in an industry that often keeps its making hidden.
Giselle started Atelier Jungles after years in fast fashion. She wanted to bring skilled work back to the Netherlands and show that local, sustainable production could be the standard, not the exception. "Last year momentum was building," she says. "But when political priorities shift, the urgency fades. Most brands only move when regulations force them to."
She believes that if even 30 to 40 percent of Dutch production stayed local, it would create real change. But that requires skilled workers, and right now there aren't enough. "The beauty is that you can learn by doing," she says. "Craft develops through practice."
Anouk wonders if the rise of AI might actually draw people back to hands-on work—whether that's construction, sewing, or other trades.
Together, A Place Called Calm and Atelier Jungles create sleepwear from organic linen. Simple pieces designed for rest. "We want to show that local production and transparency can work together," Anouk says. "People deserve to know what goes into making their clothes, what fair pricing really means."
There's something about knowing your sleepwear was made well, by people treated fairly, that helps you rest a little easier.
"Working with people who share your values makes the work meaningful," Giselle says. "It's not always easy, but it feels right."
Their collaboration is a quiet reminder: good sleep starts with good choices—in what we wear, how it's made, and who makes it.
