Partnerships, individual efforts and innovations – August was diverse when it came to the sustainability approaches of the industry. Upcoming events such as Sustainable Fashion Week will be topics of conversation in the future. The Environmental Awareness Study 2022 found that the majority of Germans are aware of climate change and consider combating plastic waste to be a key task. More and more companies are also saying ‘no’ to kangaroo leather – such as Nike, Adidas and soon Puma.
One article dealt with the trend of minimalism/ frugality, which is currently encouraging decluttering, especially when it comes to the wardrobe. However, experts advise that minimalism should move from being a private pleasure to a phenomenon, so that something is changing on a large scale as well.
innovations
Australian circular fashion brand A.Bch World launched digital platform Circular Sourcing for surplus fabrics; Airplane-proven technology is behind Coachtopia accessories and Finnish company UPM wants to popularize fleece jackets made of wood.
The Austrian fiber manufacturer Lenzing has been using wood for the textile industry for a while, but experts warn that this raw material is also only available in limited quantities. The WWF recently published a study with the University of Kassel which stated that there is not enough wood in Germany or worldwide to meet the demand in the long term.
The Green Product Award Fashion winning products and capsule collections were also announced. Ten winning products from Germany, Italy, Israel, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA were selected from 40 nominations in the subcategories of clothing, bags, accessories and shoes as well as editorial and public favorites.
These included the bio-based material TomTex, the natural yarn Re-Yut-Cel from the brand Sylvia Calvo BCN, the “F385 Circ Case” recycled protective ski cover from the Swiss bag brand Freitag, the Collien Denim Eco Bleach Jeans from the German fashion brand Wunderwerk, the recycled underwear line Wies der Dutch underwear brand Hunkemöller and the handbag “Amy” from the Berlin brand Luckynelly made of Berriestex.
collaborations
US sportswear brand Under Armor signed a deal in August to source hemp worth A$9 million with Hemp Black, a subsidiary of Australian company Ecofibre. The agreement initially extends to three years and enables the supply of bio-based yarns to Under Armour. The brand wants to use Hemp Black’s high-performance organic carbon yarn to create sportswear that is durable and moisture-resistant.
Textile recycler Soex has meanwhile entered into a partnership with the Circular Republic initiative in order to further promote the principles of the circular economy in the company and to close the loop along the entire value chain of the textile industry in the long term.
The luxury fashion brand Stella McCartney is working with Mirum manufacturer Natural Fiber Welding and is devoting an independent accessory collection to the new vegan and plastic-free alternative to leather for the first time.