ABOUT US
Tu Tiki is the recipient of a 2026 Travel & Leisure Global Vision Award!
Our work sits at the intersection of two critical global challenges: the growing plastic pollution crisis and the fashion industry’s enormous consumption of raw materials. By transforming discarded plastic into performance apparel, Tu Tiki aims to turn one problem into a resource for solving the other.
At the heart of Tu Tiki’s approach is a simple but powerful idea: cleaning up the planet starts with creating demand for the waste we’ve already produced.
“Plastic pollution isn’t just a cleanup problem — it’s an economic one,” says Tatiana Heckles, founder of Tu Tiki. “Waste gets collected when it has value. By turning discarded plastic bottles into performance fabric, we’re helping create demand for that waste — and building an economy that rewards cleanup.”
This philosophy comes to life through Tu Tiki’s SUPcycled™ sportswear, high-performance activewear made from fibers created by recycling post-consumer plastic bottles. Each garment transforms 10–20 single-use plastic bottles into athletic fabric, helping keep plastic waste out of landfills, rivers, and beaches while giving it a new life as functional apparel.
But Tu Tiki goes beyond materials. The company’s signature prints make plastic pollution impossible to ignore. Every design is a creative rendering of plastic trash — bottles, bags, straws, and other single-use items — turning the symbols of a broken recycling system into bold visual statements.
To be SUPcycled™, a garment must meet two conditions:
• Made from single-use plastic waste
• Printed with bold designs inspired by the trash itself
More than an activewear company, Tu Tiki is building a growing community of “SUPcyclers” — people who believe that what we wear can reflect the values we stand for. By transforming plastic pollution into visible design, Tu Tiki invites customers to participate in a circular economy where waste becomes a resource and fashion becomes a platform for environmental action.
Why Tu Tiki Costs What It Does
Tu Tiki SUPcycled™ pieces cost more because the materials and processes behind them cost more. Most performance apparel is made from virgin polyester—Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)—produced from newly extracted fossil fuels at the lowest possible cost.
SUPcycled™ materials—recycled PET, or rPET—by contrast, typically cost 10–30% more due to the additional steps of collecting, sorting, cleaning, and reprocessing plastic waste. The result is the same durable fiber, but with a different origin: waste turned into a resource, rather than new extraction.
We also cost more because we avoid the common cost-cutting practices of the industry. Many brands reduce prices through bulk overproduction, inexpensive synthetic dyes that pollute waterways, and low-cost labor.
Tu Tiki produces each piece to order — eliminating excess inventory but increasing unit cost — and uses water-based, Oeko-Tex™ certified inks designed to provide brilliant color for years of wear and washings without harming ecosystems. Our garments are constructed for durability, not turnover, and made with ethical production partners who provide fair wages and safe working conditions.
Compared to conventional fast-fashion or mass-produced activewear, Tu Tiki reflects the true cost of responsible materials, responsible production, and long-term value.