Advanced fabric developments lead through innovation and smart technology

Consumers are increasingly aware that fast fashion can lead to unnecessary wastage and thus can do more harm to the environment, and thus there is growing demand for high-quality textiles and well-made clothing that have a long service life and can remain in use for much longer.  

Modern fabrics now often carry special smart properties boosted by new technology and qualities such as water- and dirt-repelling functions, which help to preserve the environment and cut down on the use of resources.  

Under the patronage of UN Climate Change and in keeping with the Paris Agreement, many leading companies in the global fashion sector are tackling the effects of the fashion industry on the climate along the entire value added chain and signed the UN Charter for Climate Action.

At Premiere Vision Paris (September 17 - 19 2019), textiles with eco credentials were abound to meet the increasing demand for qualities that are environmentally correct while also integrate performance and technology with fashion trends.

US company drirelease® is a global technology company pioneering in performance and comfort textile solutions.  Its functional fabrics have qualities such as wicking, fast drying, cooling and protection benefits, with wide-ranging application, from leisure to high-performance, fashion and sportswear, as well as sleepwear and intimate fashion.  Their technology is also available in a wide range of classic and fashion-forward blends, from classic cotton to merino wool that never feels damp against the skin.  There is machine-washable silk for summer cool and winter warmth, easy-care natural linen, soft smooth acetate or Lyocell, E.C.O. (Environmentally Correct Origins) with BCI, Organic cotton and/or recycled polyester.  

Portuguese company TIMTEX introduces natural based, smart and responsible innovative fabrics such as their Naturally Advanced fabrics enhanced by the new non-salt Colorau ®  Natural dye process.  In their new collection there is a new range made from a mix of new generation fibres that enhance free movement such as REFIBRA ™ by Lenzing, Q-NOVA ®  by Fulgar and the unique GRS certified premium stretch ROICA  ™ EF.  

Meanwhile, Swiss textile maker Schoeller Textil continuously observe its responsibility to humans and the environment by manufacturing products that are compatible to sustainable climate protection by taking part in the Energy Agency of the Swiss Private Sector programme to actively reduce carbon emissions and optimise energy efficiently.  Its ecological portfolio of products that focus on sustainability includes upcycled products, such as its ECONYL ®  yarn, as well as 100% recycled, recyclable wear2wear woven and knitted fabrics or bio technologies based on sustainable raw materials.  

The ECONYL ®  Reclaiming Programme from Aquafil SPA reduces the quality of waste material occurring worldwide by collecting regenerative resources from waste disposal sites and the oceans and returning them to the production cycle.  

Photos by Lucia Carpio.

Ditch the plastic bag, if you haven't already. Go for the Secret Shopping Bag instead.

These happy faces belong to sewers in India who are experiencing a unique opportunity not only to earn and income but also to develop their business skills producing foldable shopping bag, known as The Secret Shopping Bag.

Measuring 60cm x 40cm each, the bags are made from high quality kalamkari cotton fabric in over 30 unique designs, from block prints to a plain and patterned denim range and have proved popular not only internationally but also to the local Indian market.

Secret Pillow Projects are working with their Maker Groups to empower each member to drive their own sales, gain orders and even set up their own businesses through Secret Projects Sales Training Workshops. In supporting women in the Marker Groups, they provide training and empower them with skills to generate an income to support themselves and their families.  To order the Secret Shopping Bag and to find out more how to support Secret Projects, go to their website.

Elegant, ethical and eco-friendly shopper baskets from Lola & Mawu

Hand-crafted baskets are all the craze.

The Bulga baskets from Lola & Mawu are hand-woven by female weaving cooperative in the Bolgatanga area, Northern Ghana.  The elegant shoppers are made from natural straw and finished with PU leather handle.

Lola & Mawu's Summer collection of Shopping Baskets are beautiful alternative to plastic bags.  They also all the boxes for ethical consumers as they are fair-trade, sustainable, and vegan.

The baskets come in a multitude of designs and various sizes, with a choice of classical natural straw or bold designs with bright colours.

Made in Ghana, these eco-friendly Bolga baskets are patiently handwoven by all-female artisan collectives. Each shopper takes three to five days to complete.

According to Lola & Mawu, an ethical décor and lifestyle brand based in London, the baskets are fair trade, and every purchase provides vital income to the makers.

Lola & Mawu is committed to working with artisans to create homeware and accessories that combine traditional techniques with modern tastes.

The name of the brand is a symbol of the partnership between Lola, who founded the company, and Mawu, the African goddess of creation.

Lola & Mawu also has a collection of Bolga baskets, made exclusively for the brand, which come in a range of fabulous colours, which can be used as planters or for storage for your craft projects, knitting, newspapers, toys or even fruit and veg.  The baskets are 100% straw and cruelty-free! (The tags are faux leather).  

Eco-fashion house Ministry of Tomorrow announces the launch of its new Vegan Bag collection.

According to L.A.-based eco brand Ministry of Tomorrow, more than one billion animals are killed for their leather each year for the global industry, thus their own new Vegan Bag collection is the way forward as no animals are slaughtered for their hides.

The MOT collection includes a portfolio, briefcase, cross-body and a backpack
as well as pouches and a body bump bag.
To view the Ministry of Tomorrow's campaign film, click HERE.

The new Vegan Bag collection is produced at the Ministry of Tomorrow’s fair wage, eco-factory in Nairobi, Kenya, just outside of Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum. The company recruited highly skilled tailors who reside in Kibera and offered them fare wage jobs to work.

The design is clean and chic with a Maasai-warrior inspired interior.

“The significance of the design in this collection makes a statement that says we are fighting back, from the inside, and we do this by providing consciences people a high quality alternative to leather” said Julian Prolman founder and president of the Ministry of Tomorrow.

The handcrafted bags are made with Italian and Japanese, animal-free, finer-than-leather fabrics and the lining is made from certified organic and fair trade canvas sourced from India and low impact dyes accepted for use with organic textiles. The entire supply chain from seed to production considers the well-being of people, wildlife, and the planet, said the founder.

MOTs Nairobi factory produces luxury bags that are on par with Milan’s notables but with a new twist, said Prolman, adding that it took them several years to perfect the design, production and eco-material sourcing.

“We design and produce for a new audience of conscious consumers. Social, environmental and animal rights activism is at the core of our brand. Our bags are produced with respect for the earth and care for animals and the people who are involved at each step of the production” said Julian Prolman, founder and president of the Ministry of Tomorrow.

“We are redefining luxury through a new expression of imaginative design that is elegant and at the same time distinctive, functional and produced in a responsible manner’ said Prolman.

The Ministry of Tomorrow is developing a community of conscientious young spirited people who enjoy the experience of a luxury lifestyle but also want to feel good about supporting responsibly produced products that deliver social and environmental benefits, said the founder.

 Ministry of Tomorrow Says No More Fashion “To Die For”
Eco-fashion house, Ministry of Tomorrow vows to 
end the animal slaughter one bag at a time.

“We want to see an end to the “fashion to die for” scenario that has sadly become a societal norm, where animals are killed for our pleasure, in a barbaric perception of luxury that literally costs an arm and a leg. We believe it is morally corrupt to produce garments and accessories at the expense of animals and nature. As an alternative, we promote “fashion to live for” and use this stand as a vehicle for activism that contributes to a movement to end the needless suffering of animals” said Prolman.

 The new collection can be purchased directly from the company's online shop.

Fashion and Sportswear brands take urgent action to utilise recycled material waste

SEAQUAL ™ changes plastic waste to filament yarns.
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018

There is no time to wait and see with the critical problem we are facing on this planet after many years of not realising the damage that plastics, despite their amazing range of usefulness, have contributed to polluting our environment, our oceans, our cities, our countryside, and affecting the health of all living beings, ourselves, our nature and our wildlife.

The BBC nature programme Blue Planet II had driven the message hard and highlighted the immense urgency we are facing in one of their critically-acclaimed programmes hosted by nature guru and UK national treasure David Attenborough.

One shocking fact we have learned is that less than 50% of the 480 billion plastic bottles sold in 2016 were collected for recycling. It is indeed a responsibility of all of us to take action and tackle this irreversible global crisis.

Sundried sportswear made from
recycled plastics.

While politicians, activists and environmental agencies are reportedly taking action plans to promote recycling and minimising waste, many companies and brands are giving new lease of life to recycled plastic bottles by turning the waste into new ethical and environmental friendly products.

One such company is activewear brand Sundried whose sportswear range is made from 100% recycled materials including plastic bottles.

While helping to clean up the global excess of plastic bottles which would otherwise take thousands or even millions of years to decompose naturally Sundried are also reducing harmful emissions and water waste used to create new textiles.

Sundried was founded by personal trainer and triathlete Daniel Puddick. His goal was to create a brand that his children would be proud to be associated with in years to come.

Puddick says: "Being a parent makes you think about the bigger picture for the world, so business for me now is more than just creating a financially successful brand."

From the ten-piece pilot collection launched in 2016, Puddick has grown Sundried in size and together with his small team of designers have created sportswear made from recycled materials whilst ensuring a low carbon footprint.

Sundried activewear made from recycled materials
including coffee waste.

Sundried founder Puddick adds: "Creating collections made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled coffee waste has been a really exciting part of this journey and we are continuing to research the best, ethically-sourced materials available."

Fashioned from Nature exhibition - Victoria and Albert Museum, London until January 27 2019.
Photo © by Lucia Carpio 2018.

Of course Sundried is just one of many brands and designers who are all too aware of the plastic crisis and material waste.  Designs by the likes of Nike, Calvin Klein and Stella McCartney are on show among fashion specimens highlighting the close relationship between fashion and the environment at the Fashioned from Nature exhibition currently on at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London.  Forming an important of the exhibition is the forcus on practices in the fashion industry that threaten people, the lives and the environment.  Running until January 27 2019, this is billed as the first UK exhibition to explore the complex relationship between fashion and nature over the last few centuries, from 1600 to the present day.

Recognising that urgent action is required quickly to tackle marine plastics pollution, a Spanish company of textile fibres has recently unveiled its commitments to initiate a new eco-friendly yarns called SEAQUAL ™ filament yarn made out of plastic waste retrieved from the ocean.

Seaqual 4U was founded in 2016 to tackle marine pollution with as a starting point the recovery of plastic waste collected in the oceans and recycling them into a range of continuous and discontinuous yarns.

Its ingenious plan is to dredge then upcycle plastics from the bottom of the sea and turn them into fibres and yarns.  The company partners with some 400 fishing boats off Spanish coasts that help it to collect the plastic waste.

The company has thus set up a virtuous chain involving various stakeholders in the textile industry including spinners, weavers and brands. 

SEAQUAL ™  fibres is a real catalyst engaging the entire textile industry and thus inspire consumers to buy products made of sustainable fabrics made from recycled plastics.

New innovations from SEAQUAL ™ will include exclusive yarns in staple fibres for blending with other fibres such as recycled cotton, Tencel ® , viscose, wool, linen and will be available as both continuous and discontinuous versions in their natural ecru shade or dyed into different colours. 

The I LOVE LINEN campaign has landed in London

I LOVE LINEN being promoted in the atrium of the Peter Jones department store, Sloane Square, London.
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018

Sharp-eyed shoppers and eco-conscious consumers probably already notice that an extensive campaign is going on in London this month in major retailers and brand name shops around town where a natural and wonderfully versatile fabric – Linen - is being promoted.

Following successful campaigns in Milan (2017) and in Paris (2016), the I LOVE LINEN campaign has arrived in London to raise the awareness on the wide range of applications and qualities of this eco-friendly natural fabric.

Billed as the world’s oldest fabric, linen comes from flax, the only fibre of plant that originates from Europe, here 80% of the world’s supply is grown along Normandy and the northern coasts of France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

During the month of April until May 13, a series of special events are held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and in a network of some 40 local partner brands. The I LOVE LINEN message is splashed across some 200 shop windows representing the best of British fashion and home furnishings.

Jaeger is one of the brands promoting
linen in their Spring 2018 collections.
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018

For example, at John Lewis and Peter Jones department stores in London where metres of linen fabrics are hung in the centre atrium of the stores promoting the I LOVE LINEN campaign.

Other participating brands include Poetry, Oska, L.K. Bennett, Ally Capellino, Jigsaw, Uniqlo, Vivienne Westwood, Jaeger, Skandium, Brora and Velorution, to name but a few – all promoting the qualities of linen through men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, children’s wear, sportswear, home furnishings and fashion accessories etc.

Just opened this week at the V&A is the event Fashioned from Nature and it is the UK’s first exhibition to showcase the complex relationship that fashion has with the natural world.  The comprehensive and informative exhibition highlights how fashion has been inspired by nature, and the demand the industry calls for raw materials, the enormous impact on the environment and the technology advancement is affecting our daily lives.   The European Confederation of Flax and Hemp - CELC, the authority of linen, is the major sponsor of this landmark exhibition which runs to January 27, 2019.

Also at Chelsea College of Arts – University of the Arts London, third year BA textile design students explore the fibre and fabric as part of a special creative project, in tandem with the V&A.
For more information on linen you can visit the ilovelinen.uk website.

I LOVE LINEN is jointly financed by the flax/linen industry and the EU. 

Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018.

London Sustainable Fashion Rooms Pop-Up Shop for Fashion Revolution Week

It’s Fashion Revolution Week (April 23 – 29) and a number of London events are held to look at ways to bring greater transparency and responsibility to the fashion industry.

During the week, ethical consumers can take part in the journey to find sustainable solutions and deepen your knowledge of the issues and do something.

Taking centre stage will be London sustainable and vegan brand Po-Zu which is gathering a number of ethical fashion designers for a pop-up boutique in which workshops and panel discussions with industry leaders are taking place.

Po-Zu’s pop-up shop is set at the Truman Brewery at the heart of Brick Lane.  In the London Sustainable Fashion Rooms, Po-Zu has brought together some of London's best known ethical fashion brands and designers, including Po-Zu's own SS18 Mainline and Star Wars | Po-Zu range of sneakers; Fair Trade fashion pioneer and womenswear leader - People Tree; vintage-inspired ethical fashion and knitwear by Lowie; Howies; luxury clothing from Wear the Walk; “Who Made Your Clothes?” installation by Brothers We Stand and Earth Positive.

Here is a list of other events during Fashion Revolution Week.
Monday 23rd April 17:00-19:30
Speed networking & launch of London Sustainable Fashion Rooms -
Tuesday 24th April 18:30-19:30
Rana Plaza - Never Again - 5 Years On
Thursday 26th April 18:30-19:30
Sustainable Design, Sourcing and Buying
Saturday 28th April 11:00-12:00
The New Frontier - Broadening the Media Debate on Ethical Fashion and The Vegan Revolution

For full programme and more information, Click HERE.

Footwear images above from Po-Zu.

Eco-friendly, sustainable luxury bags from Ministry of Tomorrow

The Ministry of Tomorrow (MOT), reportedly Africa’s hottest eco-fashion House, has a mandate to “save the world one bag at a time.”

The brand for vegan, eco-friendly, sustainable luxury unisex bags is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with its bespoke atelier located in Nairobi, Kenya. 

CEO and founder Julian  Prolman set up the MOT-built facility in Nairobi to help solve the unemployment problem in Kenya, such as sponsoring skilled tailors who are recruited from within Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums to make designer unisex bags, creating sustainable livelihoods for its employees, who are paid fair wages, receive bonuses based on quality production and are able to work in a safe, comfortable, and clean environment.

Only vegan and animal-free materials are used to create the MOT bags. Where fabrics are used, the company choose either cruelty free leather from Italy or Japan, or 100% Certified Organic and Fair-Trade cotton, sourced from Rajlakshmi Mills in Kolkata, India that buys its cotton from the Chetna Organic Farmers Association a collective of more than 6,000 organic cotton farmers.

The farmers growing the cotton are paid a fair price for their crop, are not exposed to harmful pesticides, and the organic farming methods do not contaminate the earth.

For more information, go to the Ministry of Tomorrow website.

Lenzing launches EcoVero™ - new standard in eco-responsible viscose

Lenzing introduced their EcoVero™ viscose fibres to the global textile and fashion industry at the international Premiere Vision Paris show in September 2017.

Acknowledging that the fashion industry requires more transparency, while consumers today expect responsible retailers and brands to know their supply chains and be able to trace product origins, the Austrian company - Lenzing - a stock exchange-listed cellulose fibres manufacturer - has announced the launch of a new standard brand - EcoVero™  - to set the new benchmark in viscose fibres.

Garments made of Lenzing™ EcoVero™ on show at Premiere Vision Paris in September 2017.

With a special manufacturing system, Lenzing can identify Lenzing™ EcoVero™ fibres in the final garment, long after the textile processing and conversion steps have been completed.  This ability means that retailers and brands can rest assure that the eco-responsible viscose fibers used in their garments can be verified and authenticated as the original , and not just any generic viscose that might not be in line with their sustainability goals. 

Lenzing CCO, Robert van de Kerkhof said in a press conference held at the Premiere Vision international textile fair held in Paris in September that for too long consumers have been concerned with environmental threats raised in the so-called "dirty fashion" report, and other issues such as marine litter, pollution and waste, growing water scarcity, accelerating climate change have affected consumer confidence.

Lenzing VP of Textile, Amit Gautam, added that value chain transparency is a trend seen not only in the textile industry but also in the food industry.  While consumers' awareness of the environment is increaing, they are more and more interested in the origin of the products they buy.  

Lenzing™ EcoVeroTM fibres set a new industry standard in sustainable viscose based on the use of these sustainable wood sources (FSC® or PEFC® certified) and an ecological production process with significantly lower emissions and water impacts than conventional viscose.

With this special identification technology for Lenzing™ EcoVero™ fibres, Lenzing provides a one-of-its-kind solution for the fashion industry and its supply chain to respond to consumer demands for reliable visibility of product origins that can be traced back to the fibre, said Lenzing's Gautam.  He said Lenzing enforces strict environmental standards during viscose production and has invested heavily over the years to achieve eco-resposible production processes.  Lenzing™ EcoVero™ fibres, which are made from wood that comes from sustainable forestry plantations,  are certified with the EU Ecolabel, a world-leading environmental manufacturing standard which is awarded only to products that have a significantly lower net environment impact to comparable products in the market.

Well known retailers are teaming up with Lenzing to advance their sustainability strategies with traceable Lenzing™ EcoVero™ fibres.

For one Scandinavian retailer, Gina Tricot, Lenzing™ EcoVero™ fibres are the solution for viscose fibres.   Fashion photos shown here are examples from their current collection.

Gina Tricot's Brand Director Anna Appelqvist (pictured here) said at the Lenzing press conference in Paris, "Supply chain transparency is getting to be for us more and more important as customers want to know which kind of material is used for their garments. 

"As viscose is a very important fibre for our womenswear range, the new identification technology from Lenzing used in EcoVero™ fibres will mean we will have full supply chain transparency and our customers will welcome that and can be assured that they are buying eco-responsible viscose garments", she said adding that they are launching new T-shirts with this special EcoVero fibres this autumn. 

Another retailer from Sweden, Lindex are also considering to take Lenzing™ EcoVero™ fibres into their collection. "EcoVero™ fibres show concern for the origin of raw material as well as having a reduced environmental impact in the production process. We hope that this initiative will drive the development towards producing more sustainable viscose in the industry", explains Production Sustainability Manager Anna-Karin Dahlberg.

Lenzing's initiative is also supported by the German brand ARMEDANGELS, as its CEO Martin Höfeler had commented that as a radically responsible fashion brand this is a great match for them and they are excited to be working with Lenzing to include EcoVero™ in their future product range.