Briefly summarize the partnership between Haelixa and Soorty.

Haelixa and Soorty began their partnership in 2019, over a need to have a reliable means of tracing the denim Soorty is recycling. Haelixa provides a liquid solution containing specific DNA for Soorty to spray on post-consumer waste. Once the post-consumer waste is mechanically recycled into fibers and further processed into a finished garment, samples are sent to Haelixa labs to be tested for the DNA. Once verified, Soorty can responsibly stand by their recycling claim.

What advantages do marking and tracing recycled denim have for customers? Why is this important?

HB : Denim manufacturers and producers are being pushed to increase the percentage of recycled products. As denim brands are setting more aggressive sustainability goals, this means the demand for recycled fibers increases. In order to substantiate recycling claims, Haelixa offers forensic proof as to whether marked recycled fibers are used.

MB : With an increase in demand for circularity in textiles, many brands are focusing on the transparency and traceability of the fibers and their sourcing background. The major advantage for the customers is having confidence and total reliability in the product because it’s been sourced from a credible and authentic supplier who understands circularity and its dynamics. 

This also provides them with the satisfaction of being conscious consumers since traceability offers supply chain transparency that makes you feel like a partner in environmental support and that you are giving back to nature

What has been the overall response of marking recycled denim?

HB : The response has been positive. Traceability is not only a trend but an important standard that is being adopted by the textile industry. Haelixa offers credible testing (through PCR) to verify DNA in the fibers marked. Soorty offers brands the option of labelling their products with a tag, “Marked and Traced by Haelixa.” All fact-based information on sustainability efforts are important for the industry and consumers.

MB : Many brands are realizing the effects of ongoing climate changes and the consequences of growing landfills. Over the past few years, many of our buyers have been asking us to add PCW (recycled cotton) into our fabrics. But since the last 2 to 3 years, the demand has been getting higher and higher with every passing day. Now most of the brands we are working for demand a mandatory percentage of PCW blend in their collections.

How does the process work and what are the steps involved in execution

HB: Haelixa ships the liquid formulation to Soorty, where it is applied in a standard production step by spraying. Denim garments are then produced as usual. What we have also done with one of Soorty’s clients, is to prepare a unique DNA to identify their collection. Haelixa then verifies marked garments and issue test certificates.

MB : After sorting and shredding our PCW denim fibers, we apply DNA markers to the fibers, which are then mixed with virgin cotton in the desired percentage requested by the buyers to make the yarn.

What is the most common reason brands want to mark recycled denim?

HB: Marking fibers is important to maintain the credibility of the product in the supply chain. In a world of greenwashing and misinformation, brands are looking for fact-based evidence to back the claims about the fibers used in their textiles.

What does the consumer gain from purchasing marked and traced recycled denim? How has the DNA solution evolved since working with recycled denim?

HB: Haelixa marking fibers initially was used mostly as a tool for supply chain players to verify their claims of traced textiles. Since the product was first launched, Haelixa now offers customer-facing communication. This includes the optional hang tag, stating “Marked and Traced by Haelixa” or a QR code printed within the finished garment which directs the consumer to a website sharing supply chain data.

With respect to this partnership, what is possible for the future? Are you planning on scaling the recycled cotton traceability? What will you mark besides recycled?

HB : The range of textiles that Haelixa can reliably trace is vast, beyond denim. The traceability solutions portfolio includes organic cotton, recycled cotton, hemp, nettle, and synthetic fibers. With Soorty, the next scale will be in recycled and organic cotton.

MB : Soorty has always kept a sharp focus on its customers’ expectations while ensuring a sustainable impact on our Earth. We do it through research, innovation, and continuous improvement of infrastructure. Recently, we have doubled our recycling capabilities, keeping in mind the flow of demand for recycled denim. And we are thinking of coming up with something interesting like traceable organic cotton under SOCI, Soorty’s Organic Cotton Initiative.

Why is marking organic cotton important? Which advantage will it give you?

HB : The feedback has been very strong after collaborations with brands in marking organic cotton. It adds credibility as traceability is the only way to ensure that a product is indeed made of the specific lot of organic cotton that is stated on the transaction certificate or other documentation. The fact that Haelixa markers are approved as chemical inputs by GOTS is a major advantage here and allows us to ensure that safety and GOTS requirements are maintained.

MB : It seems like the new business approach will be based on the transparency of the full supply chain and not limited to one part.

What is the risk of not using a traceability solution?

HB: There are two major risks of not having a traceable solution in place :
1. Future: With regulations and communication mediums changing faster than the seasons, businesses need to keep up with the trends. Without a solution in place, their efforts to create consistent products that meet standards will fall short.
2. Transparency: To keep stakeholders informed about the fibers used, traceability is necessary to state the facts about the production processes in the supply chain.

MB : It is unavoidable in today’s world to provide a tangible with no traceability. To be in the league of dependable supply chains, a significant number of businesses would have to rely on an authentic and consistent traceability partner sooner or later.

Mr. Mansoor Bilal – VP Marketing, Research & Innovation says :

Going forward, companies will be judged on their overall footprint of traceability and reliability. As a first step, we have onboarded Haelixa for the beginning of process control to encourage track and trace. And we see great potential to further push the initiative in our cotton fields under the flagship project of SOCI to create a circular benchmark.

Mr. Abdelkader Amouche – Global Sales Director , Haelixa says :

Greater transparency is a must. Business owners now know that their companies will be asked about their sustainability goals and efforts. Our work in cases, like Soorty, demonstrates that transparency is possible.

For more information , please contact Holly Berger , Marketing Director , Haelixa AG @ h.berger@haelixa.com

Circularity has been discussed by Dame Ellen MacArthur since 2010, although the concept has only lately gained popularity. After retiring from sailing 12 years ago- MacArthur being the first woman to solo around the globe- she founded the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to bring together the worlds of business, education, fashion, agriculture, and beyond to conceive a dramatic transformation to a “circular economy.” A circular economy, in contrast to our existing linear concept of creation, consumption, and disposal, entails reducing waste, keeping items in circulation, and renewing nature.

MacArthur launched the book on the 2nd of December, 2021, at Business of Fashion VOICES. Circular Design for Fashion was created in honor of fashion’s enormous potential to change to a circular economy, as well as its creatives – enthusiastic disruptors who are always looking for new ways to innovate. The book introduces a new design approach and inspires designers to think about how they might help shape a more resilient and successful fashion sector that addresses climate change and biodiversity loss. Investigate the challenges of creating with three concepts in mind: reducing waste and pollution, cycling products and resources, and renewing nature. The book presents an assorted mix of voices, well-known names like Stella McCartney, Gabriela Hearst, and Eileen Fisher, as well as upcoming designers like Bethany Williams and Duran Lantink, upcycling professionals like ADIFF’s Angela Luna and Loulwa Al Saad, regenerative agriculture assets like Fibershed and FarFarm, Gucci and its parent company Kering, and some of the industry’s most successful corporations like Inditex, Fast Retailing, and H&M.

SUBSISTENCE BY CIRCULAR DESIGN

Many firms and designers in the fashion field have begun to take initiatives to remove waste and pollution from their product lifecycles in recent years. Elodie Rousselot, the strategic design manager at Ellen MacArthur Foundation says, “I think we’re witnessing a beautiful moment in the industry, where many are actively looking at how they can change their businesses and the way they design products to be fit for the circular economy.” The goal of circular design is to create goods and services that don’t have a linear life cycle with a beginning, middle, and conclusion. The goal is to create goods that can “be produced to be made again,” as ex- CEO of IDEO, Tim Brown phrased it.

The move to a circular economy (CE) presents designers with a variety of new issues and necessitates particular knowledge, tactics, and methodologies. The CE idea broadens the scope of the design process and encourages the incorporation of new knowledge domains and abilities. Throughout all phases of the design process, substantial engagement with stakeholders and specialists is required for the CE to be implemented successfully in reality. Design firms have responded to the CE by forming dedicated CE research and design workgroups, facilitating information flow, constructing their own circular strategies and techniques, and pursuing long-term client relationships that encourage designers to become involved in the lifecycles of crafted artifacts rather than viewing design projects as one-time events. Many designers have taken the initiative too. Amongst such designers are the six contributors, highlighted by Rousselot in MacArthur’s book, who are at the forefront of the movement towards the circular fashion industry.

ORANGE CUTURE BY ADEBAYO OKE-LAWAL

Adebayo Oke-Lawal creates gender-neutral clothing with a 90 percent indigenous Nigerian supply chain that includes everything from material procurement to dyeing and printing. The designer tries to guarantee that money stays in the community through his Lagos-based label Orange Culture, while also training his suppliers and staff about sustainable manufacturing processes so that they may apply what they’ve learned to other initiatives.

“They’ve also begun encouraging shoppers to return undesired clothing so that it may be turned into new outfits and sold again. It’s more than just a repair service. It’s almost as though the clothing had a new narrative to tell.” Rousselot said, “Orange Culture uses the offcuts from its manufacturing process to form new products or elements such as lining.”

RAEBURN BY CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN

Whilst pursuing fashion design in London in the early 2000s, Christopher Raeburn began working with excess fabrics and clothes, purchasing unworn military coats from the 1950s for £1 apiece and reworking them into new outfits. Since then, he’s pushed to expand the use of reused materials in mass production with his own British Fashion Award-winning label Raeburn, along with switching ‘Timberland’ to regeneratively cultivated leather as creative director for the footwear company.

“He was one of the first to bring this practice to a commercial scale, in a way that is attractive and different from what you would expect from an ‘eco brand,” Rousselot said.

ICICLE BY YE SHOUZENG AND TAO XIAOMA

Icicle, a Chinese company founded in 1997 by husband-and-wife team Ye Shouzeng and Tao Xiaoma, uses five primary materials – cashmere, linen, wool, silk, and cotton – that is sustainably sourced and lightly treated to preserve the attention on the fibers’ inherent beauty. To maintain transparency and protect the welfare of garment workers, the company does all of its design and manufacture in-house at its own facilities.

Rousselot quotes about the innovative couple- “They are bringing this different perspective to a circular design, which is based on traditional Chinese philosophy and runs counter to the Western idea that we’re born, we die and then that’s it”

MARINE SERRE

Aside from her signature crescent moon motif, French designer Marine Serre is recognized for using repurposed materials such as household linens, carpets, and towels in 50% of her designs. Serre’s work, which was awarded the esteemed LVMH prize in 2017 and is distributed by big shops like Selfridges and Browns, demonstrates that waste materials, notwithstanding their nasty reputation, may have a place in the premium fashion industry.

“She’s extremely cutting edge in the way she designs with these textiles,” Rousselot said. “In fashion design, usually what students are taught to do is to define a color palette that will guide their collection and then find the fabrics to match.”

FIBERSHED

Fibershed is a non-profit organization that assists businesses in gaining access to hyper-local textile supply chains by employing regenerative agricultural techniques that retain carbon in the soil rather than releasing it. Designer Phoebe English recently produced a line of outfits for the COP26 climate conference in conjunction with its regional arm in South East England, for which all fabrics were farmed, dyed, spun, and processed within a 250-kilometer radius of her London studio.

Rousselot quotes- “This approach means you are not growing hectares of cotton, you’re growing different types of crops that naturally thrive in the area such as nettle or hemp.”

NKWO BY NKWO ONWUKA

Nkwo Onwuka, a British-Nigerian designer, created Dakala, a new African textile that looks like hand-loomed fabric but is manufactured by stripping and putting together discarded denim pieces. She currently instructs indigenous women in Abuja to use their traditional textile crafts abilities to manufacture new garments from the heaps of garment trash transported to Nigeria from western nations, with the goal of “weaving waste into prosperity.”

“She’s also started looking at sourcing cotton locally,” Rousselot explained. “Nigeria doesn’t grow a lot of cottons but unlike in Kyrgyzstan, where it’s a cause of desertification, in Nigeria, it can grow rain-fed so it doesn’t require extra irrigation.”

CIRCULAR FASHION: THE CURRENT SCENARIO

The circular fashion industry is being embraced by more than just independent or eco-friendly apparel manufacturers. 64 of the world’s largest fashion brands, including Adidas and Inditex, inked a pledge in January 2018 to speed the transition to a circular business model. Adidas, for example, decided to address the issue of materials by gradually implementing a 3-Step Loop Strategy, in which Step 1 is to use recycled materials, Step 2 is to make those recycled materials part of a loop that can be reused, and Step 3 is to bio-fabricate the materials of the future so that when they come out of the loop, they are biodegradable and can be returned to nature without endangering it.

Denim is a wardrobe must for millions of individuals all over the world. The manufacture of a single pair of jeans in traditional way consumes 3,781 liters of water, which is a fact that the majority are unaware of. However, of late, we have seen that Ellen MacArthur foundation and other initiatives in the industry have ensured that the industry moves firmly in the direction of circularity and we hope to see huge changes very soon.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation had created The Jeans Redesign, a set of recommendations aimed at encouraging the denim industry to embrace the circular economy more effectively. Hundreds of companies have already signed on and committed their support. Among them are Gap, H&M, Wrangler, and a many other well-known brands. In June 2021, the first redesigned jeans utilizing the criteria was finished, proving that circular jeans may be made now.

IMPORTANCE OF CIRCULAR FASHION ON PLANET

“Cradle to Cradle is like good gardening; it is not about “saving” the planet but about learning to thrive on it,” a quote by Michael Braungart says it all. The contemporary industrial infrastructure’s design goal is to provide an appealing product that is inexpensive, complies with rules, performs well enough, and lasts long enough to fulfil market expectations. With a projected worldwide population of nine billion people by 2030, nature will face unprecedented challenges in meeting human demands. The purpose of circular fashion is to guarantee that clothing is manufactured from safe and renewable materials, that innovative business models increase its usage, and that old clothing is reused. We want to see the garment industry progress to a future where every material is securely used and reused, ecosystems are protected, and people have meaningful jobs. This is the circular fashion philosophy, as well as why it is so vital.

Clothes are an outward manifestation of our personality, and while variety is important, we should be more careful of how much we really need.

Its second batch of 58 workers completed the eight-week intensive course recently, where they learned coding, Python programming language, statistics, and other skills. It had around 450 workers apply for limited slots in the first year of the course, and they taught more than 100 employees from more than 20 locations across North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific.

Rather than educating new tech hires to speak fashion, brands like Levi’s are teaching the current workforce to speak tech. Levi’s launched the program in May as part of ongoing attempts to expedite digitalization and move to a direct-to-consumer approach. After cutting off 700 corporate staff as part of the 2020 store closures, Levi’s is now building a number of new tech-centric stores.

Ronald Pritipaul who has served as denim head for Levi’s now has a new role of associate data project manager for computer vision. Surprisingly, Ronald has no background in computer science. He does, however, have an engrained dedication to Levi’s and a comprehensive understanding of the day-to-day difficulties that must be solved. He is one of 40 recent graduates of Levi’s first machine learning “bootcamp”. It was during his time in bootcamp that Ron started to question how he’d actually implement these new skillsets.

 “The fashion industry has largely accepted the need for digitization, but recruitment of the necessary tech talent is a challenge. And once new hires adjust to working in fashion, they’re often poached by others. We used to call this the endless cycle of frustration,” says Katia Walsh, Levi’s SVP and chief strategy and AI officer, who is leading the project.

ADAPTING TO THE NEW CHANGE

Walsh comes from the worlds of telecoms (Vodafone) and finance (Prudential Financial). While machine learning intensives are new to the fashion industry, Walsh notes out that they are hardly new to Amazon and Google. She believes herself to be an “unusual fashion executive.” She feels that her entire career has been about using technology to get a competitive edge, yet this industry is still very analogue, highly manual, and fueled by creativity and intuition.  As a result, the company is aiming to transform the analogue into the digital, the manual into the automated, and the imprecise into the precision.

The program has already proven well. Several workers have created technology tools to automate specific parts of their work, and at least five companies have approached Levi’s to share insights, something that Levi’s is doing.

“We have a great brand as a physical manufacturer of physical goods. But at some point, I also see a future for us as a manufacturer of digital products,” said Walsh.

BUILDING THE RIGHT WORKFORCE

Levi’s has made the programme eligible to any internal applicant. The purpose is to broaden and diversify the pool of people with technical expertise, as well as to identify problems that tech teams may have overlooked.

Employees must apply in order to get recruited. In addition to a “no-code challenge” that assesses analytical skills, problem-solving, curiosity, tenacity, and resilience, they are required to describe how they would utilise data science in their professions. Entrants have arrived from 20 different locations, including Levi’s corporate offices, retail stores, distribution centres, and data centres. Some of them do not have a college degree.

The bootcamp has been designed as an eight-week virtual course in which employees are paid their regular salaries while engaging in 10-hour days of lectures, team exercises, individual work, homework, and office hours. The second cohort of 60 individuals is now in session, which means that by the end of the year, 100 people will have finished the programme. So far, 450 people have applied, vastly outnumbering the company’s expectations. Walsh discovered that shifting the culture toward digitization and automation did not simply foster new talents in current personnel. It also helps the business retain outside hires, breaking the old “cycle of frustration.”

HOW AI INFLUENCES DESIGN AT LEVI’S

Ronald claimed to use available technologies to improve an existing algorithm and use a neural network created particularly for garments. This algorithm might, for example, define the edges of a garment, detect button placements, and determine pockets, among other things, and then store that image in a single layer for designing.

Ronald decided to create a new Levi’s Trucker jacket to put his algorithm to the test. He drew inspiration from his love of art history. Among the many references were Van Gogh’s Starry Night, David Hockney’s Apple Tree, and Jasper Johns’ Corpse and Mirror II. The program was able to describe different aspects of the art pieces such as brush strokes, colour, and edges. By using the same algorithm, and with the click of a button, the software could recreate thousands of unique alternative designs instantly.

Whilst, Ronald has also built a new app that automatically matches threads to fabrics using a specified Pantone palette and solved a major problem point of his fellow designers. These innovations are all the more astounding given that Ronald only completed the bootcamp a few months ago.

 It’s a wonderful illustration of how technology can help and influence workloads beyond the routine data and AI space, forming new dynamics.

This delivers superior colorfastness relative to conventional indigo dyeing whilst using substantially fewer resources. This innovative offering is awarded the EU Ecolabel1 a label of environmental excellence awarded to products meeting high environmental standards throughout their life cycle.

Development of Indigo technology to enhance denim sustainability

The denim industry’s demand for eco-responsible alternatives is growing rapidly, as brands and supply chain partners seek greater sustainability. Lenzing has been working closely with such partners to counteract environmentally harmful denim production processes via the botanic origin of its raw materials and responsible production processes.

Denim remains an important market for Lenzing, and the introduction of TENCEL Modal with Indigo technology is designed to help reduce the ecological footprint of denim fabrics and garments. Produced in Austria, predominantly from beech wood derived from sustainably managed wood sources, this new offering has been designated BioPreferred® by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“Innovation is at the core of what we do, from sustainable fiber sourcing through industry-leading features and production processes, with the ever-present goal of safeguarding our environment,” says Florian Heubrandner, Vice President Global Textiles Business at Lenzing AG. “

By upending traditional manufacturing processes and implementing our pioneering technology along with renewable and eco-responsible materials, TENCEL Modal with Indigo technology sets a new benchmark for indigo application and sustainability in the denim industry.”

To understand more about TENCEL Modal with Indigo technology, Sandeep Agarwal from Denimsandjeans had a quick Q&A session with Lenzing Project Manager Michael Kininmonth.

Q. Modal with Indigo is an amazing innovation. Can you let us know, first of all, why you felt the need for this product?

Of all the environmental issues that the denim industry is wrestling with, indigo manufacture, indigo dye chemistry, and indigo application have witnessed the least progress. We decided to focus on the area that we could actually influence directly – dye application.

Q.How does the process of injecting indigo into fiber work. Does it not affect the strength of the fibre?

In order to form a fiber it is necessary to convert the cellulose into the liquid phase. This is called the spinning dope. It is at this point the coloration is added to make a homogeneous mixture. The dope is then extruded and reverts to a solid form in the shape of a continuous filament.

The pigment is trapped in the solid structure. Any additive in the dope can affect the final strength of the fiber and so there is always a balance to be struck.

Q.You mention that crocking is taken care of and the product will not wash down the in-home laundry. Does this not take away some character of Indigo.

With traditional indigo warp dyeing, control of chemical concentrations and control of machine conditions such as immersion times, tension control, and dye box design can result in an excess of indigo dye deposited on the surface of yarns resulting in poor rub fastness and relatively rapid color loss. In contrast, the indigo pigment and a Modal indigo fiber are entrapped and penetrated to the core.

There it takes much more wet and dry aggression to start removing pigment. Crocking and home laundry tend to be low aggression activities. More aggressive finishing techniques, physical or chemical, are able to remove color, and so it is possible to achieve a distressed look.

Q.Have you calculated the reduction in carbon footprint for those who are using this fiber instead of regular indigo dyeing?

As compared with conventional indigo dyeing, TENCEL Modal with Indigo technology typically has a smaller carbon footprint and offers savings of water (99%), chemicals (80%), electricity (99%), heat energy (100%), and wastewater (99%). These savings were calculated by comparing both conventional indigo powder dyeing and conventional pre-reduced liquid indigo dyeing.

In both cases, we assumed a standard commercial concentration of indigo at 3% on weight of the fabric and a set-up of pre-wetting, warm rinsing, (2 boxes), cold rinsing (1 box), indigo dyeing (6 boxes), and rinsing (3 boxes). We cannot be specific about carbon footprints because that depends on the individual customer energy supply set up (type of fuel for boiler, steam generation, electrical power, etc).

Q.Do you see a bigger market for such a unique material lies denim or in knits for this innovation?

Difficult to predict.

Back in the early 1980s, I worked on the first-ever commercial production of warp-dyed indigo yarn back onto the cone, for use in the knit market. This was patented at the time by IKI (Indigo Knitwear Industries) in the UK. Nearly 40 years on and there is still a limited supply of this type of product available to the market. TENCEL Modal with Indigo technology provides an easy route to market and Modal is well established in the knit market and so I see that there is a significant opportunity here.

For wovens, our Modal Black made headway into the jeans sector some 3 or 4 years ago, particularly into the super soft super stretch product area, so I see no reason why a product with such a great environmental footprint cannot do the same.

The Denim Re-union- a virtual event to be hosted by Denimsandjeans, is going to witness the presence of some of the leading companies, denim designers and consultants around the globe who’ll be showcasing their innovative and sustainable designs and solutions.

Do not miss to join the show on March 30 & 31,2021.

Timings:
Day 1- March 30: 3.30 pm CET to 6.30 PM CET, EST 7.30am – 10.30am
Day 2- March 31: 5.30 pm CET to 8.30 PM CET , EST 7.30am- 11.30am

To visit the show, please download our app and register here

iOS : http://bit.ly/dbrandsios
Android : http://bit.ly/dbrandsandroid

The Secret Garden was the subject of the first project between Ian Berry and Tonello in 2017 exhibited in New York at the Children’s Museum of the Art’s and now the installation also arrives at the Flower Mart in San Francisco, another fantastic location that will host the work in denim permanently.

A hanging trellis with flowers, leaves, vines, wisteria and chrysanthemums welcomes visitors, but it is no ordinary flora but a dense structure that blooms in blue, indigo blue. Each piece cut from jeans and denim. 

Cascading high across the wide-paned windows as a floral curtain, this piece is a solemn and bold reminder of the industrial history of the United States. The denim from this piece was sourced from the last denim mill in the United States, Cone Denim’s, White Oak in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

“Denim has been a medium for me over 15 years and one thing I love the most about it, is the history though time and its symbolism but also its origins. Representing the Flower Mart in the material famed in the city dating back to the 1870s and the official fabric of California will show that the great new building respects and embraces the city’s heritage.” Said Ian Berry

Ian Berry is currently exhibiting in the birth home of Levi in Bavaria starting a tour of his work that takes in many cities across the world.

“The democratic nature of this famed material is also a mark of this project’s preservation of blue-collared jobs and a bridge between the old and the new in this innovation. And of course, denim transcends all boundaries all over the world and ever since the 1800’s the Flower Mart has been ethnically diverse, and this history should be celebrated.” Conclude Ian Berry.

A trademark for Ian Berry as well as an exciting result of a sincere collaboration for Tonello, who has been working side by side with the artist for several years.

Today Tonello is the international benchmark for the garment-processing industry developing innovative equipment for the apparel industry. Not only, also known as the inspiring company, it boasts numerous projects and collaborations with international artists including Ian Berry, an artist that shows around the world in galleries, museums, and art. 

Tonello has created the Secret Denim Garden using only innovative and totally responsible technologies.

We are talking about Laser Blaze and The All-In-One System, pillars of Tonello Laundry (R)Evolution, the sophisticated fruit of a radically new conception in garment finishing processes. 

Tonello mentions :

” 100% sustainable effect on leaves and flowers has been created , thanks also to the ECOfree2 technology – part of The All-In-One System – that through the use of ozone in water and ozone in air, reproduces an extremely natural bleach effect on denim, all in a completely responsible way.”

With the installation for the new San Francisco Flower Mart, Tonello helped was (with ozone) dozens upon dozens of yards of the Cone denim and laser cut the vines to make the Trellis. Ian travelled to Italy to work with the specialist team in the region also famed for its denim industry

Alice Tonello, head of Tonello marketing and R&D said:

“Having the opportunity to work with Ian Berry is always amazing. We are using denim in a different and inspiring way, and it’s something that in the industry usually doesn’t happen.

When he asked us about this new project, we were so happy and so proud to be part of it. The installation in the San Francisco Flower Mart is an example of how collaborations and friendships can lead to unexpected and surprising results as well as portraying a message in a beautiful way.”

IAN BERRY PERMANENT INSTALLATION IN SAN FRANCISCO

Where:
San Francisco Flower Mart, Kilroy Innovation Center (temporary location),660 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States

The initial few years were very encouraging and according to a market research report – the global online clothing rental market was valued at $1,013 million in 2017 and is estimated to reach $ 1,856 million by 2023, registering a CAGR of 10.6% from 2017 to 2023.

In 2017, the rental clothing business was mostly ruled by North America with a 40% share globally, however, later Europe and South East Asia also picked up with this new business model.

The report further states that the women fashion contributed over 58% share and Ethnic Wear emerged as a category that posed considerably high growth over the period of time.

All the good stories and all the great business models were put to litmus test when COVID actually started infecting cash flow and disposal incomes all around the globe. The disruption in the supply chain was apparent, people were keener to spend more on necessary articles including immunity boosters and insurance, and therefore renting a cloth for the members of the household turned out to be an unpalatable deal.

There are many new startups which were considered as the market disruptors are now closing their business citing liquidity crunch in the market, the recent casualty is the clothing rental start-up Rent the Runway.

Rental clothing business heavily relies on the special events and occasions happen within the society in different capacities special like weddings, birthday parties and black-tie events but COVID forced everyone to follow social distancing which adversely impacted this model of business.

While speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Jenn Hyman- Co-Founder of Rent the Runway said she was hopeful business was going to bounce back, and the company would come out of the pandemic even stronger than before it went into it. 

Another rental clothing start-up which announced its exit is Le Tote which bought Lord & Taylor stores also.

Clothing rental is “really operationally complex,” and so far there hasn’t been “a proof point” that the business model will be successful, said Byron Ling, a partner at Canaan Partners, who invests in consumer startups but isn’t involved with Le Tote.

Le Tote had performed pretty well until 2018 however last year the company witnessed a massive slowdown. In 2018, the company earned $60.8 million however in 2019 the revenue dropped up to $32.6 million and in 2020 COVID led to an unexpected fall in the subscriptions due to sudden liquidity constraints amongst the American households.

LEVIS LATEST COLLAB IN RENTAL SPACE

The Danish fashion retailer GANNI has recently collaborated with iconic denim label – LEVIS to bring an exclusive collection named- LOVE LETTER, a rental only capsule collection.

The articles of this collection can not be bought, one can only rent articles for their use. The ownership model has been swiped with the sharing model and this could be construed as final beta testing for both the brands. GANNI launched a similar project last year in Denmark also to test the water.

Ganni handpicked each pair of vintage 501’s with Levi’s for the project to upcycle and give them new life making it a personal process.

The collection is supported by Near Field Communication (NFC) digital experience and will be available to rent in the UK, Denmark, and the US. This will enable delivering of a ‘post tap’ curated experience through the NFC chip embedded with the back-patch of each piece.
Consumers will be able to rent the products by simply tapping the NFC enabled size patch with a smartphone. Later on , they will be able to unlock the history of each piece.

There would be three denim articles in this collection – a button-down shirt featuring Ganni’s signature oversized Peter Pan collar, as well as a pair of jeans, and a shirt dress. The attraction of these garments would be its processing. All garments are made from upcycled vintage Levi’s jeans and repurposed denim. User will be able to enter a connected world videos , stories and exclusive content from global shoots, style inspiration etc.

As per GANNI, the weekly rental starts at exhorbitant $55 for a week and goes upto $145 for 3 weeks and users can choose to rent each piece (or multiple pieces) for one to three weeks at a time through the Ganni Repeat website.

Ganni’s creative director Ditte Reffstrup told Vogue magazine that the collection was born before the worldwide Covid-19 lockdown began. She said: “We joked about how it was the easiest and lightest collection we had ever made.”

Whether this experiment by Levi’s will work out or not , time will tell . But it is a great sustainable effort where the repurposed denims will get a new and long life adding value for all concerned.
The rental prices seem high compared to existing rental service providers but it remains to be seen how consumers will react in the current climate.

High-End:
Rent the Runway (Starts at $30 per rental)
Vince. Unfold ($160 per month)
Rebecca Taylor RNTD ($159 per month)
Switch Jewelry (Starts at $29 per month)
Work-Ready:
Infinite Style by Ann Taylor ($95 per month)
Infinitely LOFT ($64.95 per month)
Express Style Trial ($69.95 per month)
Trend-Savvy:
Le Tote (Starts at $69 per month)
The Ms. Collection (Starting at $59 per month)
Gwynnie Bee (Starts at $49 per month)
Haverdash ($59 per month)
NY&C Closet ($49.95 per month)
Rocksbox Jewelry ($21 per month)
Armoire ($149 per month)
nuuly by Urban Outfitters ($88 per month)
Mens:
The Mr. Collection (Starting at $59 per month)
The Black Tux (Suit rentals start at $95)
(via- mysubscriptionaddion .com)

THE STORY

Over a phone call to catch up during Covid-19 Shelter At Home here in California, Adriano and I began talking about ideas, and that’s where the concept for the TYPE ONE TEE was born.  We were anxious to give a positive message, and the time at home  stimulated us to think about new ways to create a business starting from nothing. 

THE PROBLEM

Your average cotton tee shirt is traditionally a weak product.  When living in tees (like we do these days) we’re wearing and washing them often enough to understand that they break down over time.  

Growing cotton also presents other issues, including the environmental impact from large amounts of water used for irrigation and  the chemicals and pesticides used in most of these crops.  Garments that aren’t long lasting end up in landfills.  

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, although efforts are being made to recycle discarded clothing, this only accounts for 15% of the apparel that makes its way into landfills today.

THE SOLUTION:

We’ve created a tee shirt that brings together the most eco friendly fibers in nature, Hemp and Tencel.  

Hemp is a naturally strong fiber with anti-microbial properties.  When hemp is blended with Tencel (made from fiber that comes from wood), the finished yarn is stronger than cotton and produces a durable long lasting fabric.  

On top of our fiber sourcing that creates a longer life garment, we went a step further with our dye processing.  Our colors are made from chopped up old clothes that are ground into powder becoming new dye for our tees.  Our goal is that you’ll fall in love with our TYPE ONE TEE.  Designed with the earth in mind, and so soft that you’ll never want to take it off.

AVAILABLE COLORS

TYPE ONE TEE SIZING

SOURCING STRATEGY

PRODUCTION & DELIVERY CALENDAR

WHAT GOES INTO OUR PRODUCT: 

HOW WE WILL USE OUR FUNDING:

A successful Kickstarter Campaign will not only allow us to work through our first production run, enabling us to finance and deliver product to our Backers, but it will also help to prove the concept for our earth conscious brand, Ace Gold Green.

Risks and challenges

If you watched our Kickstarter video, it’s clear that we’re not kids. In addition to the years of combined design, product development, and production experience that Adriano and I bring to this project, we have assembled a team of the best resources available to produce our goods. Just like in any relationship, open communication (always sharing what’s working and what isn’t) is the key to identifying solutions when challenges come up.

All of our resources have committed to focusing on quality as our #1 priority with this project, and making sure that we’re involved and informed about each step of the manufacturing process. Bringing materials together from around the world can be challenging at any time, and clearly becomes much more complicated during a global pandemic.

Our suppliers have committed to our raw material deliveries, but none of us can for-see things that are out of our control like countries being shut down/ shipments being stopped/ or other un-knowns that could impact our planned calendar to ship your finished Type One Tees. Between our experience, our team of best in class suppliers, and our goal to bring you our Type One Tee, we’ll do everything in our ability to ship your product on time

Environmental commitments

Visit our Environmental Resources Center to learn how Kickstarter encourages sustainable practices.

Long-lasting design

Combining Hemp fibers with Tencel adds to the overall fabric strength of our tee shirts, giving it more durability through standard wear. Building Education around alternatives to standard home care (using cold water for wash cycles and air drying) also adds to both energy savings and extends the life of our tees.

Reusability and recyclability

Our compostable mailers are made from a combination of PBAT, a bio based polymer which is compostable, and PLA which is made up of plant materials such as regular field corn and wheat straw.

Our use of PLA makes up barely 0.05% of the annual global corn crop, making it an incredibly low-impact resource. Read on for further certifications and information.

The bags are certified by TUV Austria; meeting American, European, International and Australian standards – including certifications for your domestic home compost. To gain these certifications, the product must break down within 90 days in commercial compost and 180 days in domestic compost conditions, including worm farm compost. After degradation, they must leave no harmful residues behind.

Sustainable materials

The fibers for our tee shirts are produced from a blend of Hemp and Tencel. Hemp grows 4 times faster than cotton, it doesn’t require any pesticides, and uses at least 50% less water than cotton to grow.

Tencel comes from Tree Farms (which are re-grown) and its fibers are extruded from wood chips. The “Recycrom” dye-stuffs used for our tee shirts are created by Officina +39 from post consumer waste apparel. That means they take old clothing, sort it by color, then chop it up into small pieces. This is then ground into a powder which is re-used to dye our Ace Gold Green tees.

Environmentally friendly factories

Based in Los Angeles, we’ve selected our cutting, sewing, printing and finishing facilities within a local radius of each-other. We have long standing relationships with the factories, and we’ve considered how they treat their employees as well as their industry reputations for in our decision to place our Ace Gold Green products with them.

Sustainable Distribution

Our first consideration regarding fulfilment was actually about our direct to consumer mailers, and making sure we had a compostable envelope that wouldn’t add additional pressures to our landfills. Instead of managing fulfilment through a large facility, we’ll be managing all of the packing and shipping to designated services ourselves via Prius.

KEEP IN TOUCH 

Kickstarter is a great platform to launch products in many industries – though our industry has not really taken full advantage of it. It enables crowd funding of projects to enable them get on their feet . We would request our readers to contribute whatever – even if a small amount – to support this great project which can be an inspiration for many young designers and fashionistas to launch unique products with shoestring budget. We all need to make this succeed !
Kickstarter link
Also follow Acegoldgreen.com for by putting up your email address for updates on the project .

Recently Denimsandjeans held a webinar ‘Denim Washing Changes In Near Future’ with some of very well known and globally reputed denim professionals . The panelists included :

1.Vasco Pizarro – Sales & Marketing Director – Pizarro S.A
2.Daniele Lovato – Head – Elleti Group, Tunisia
3.Andrea Perego – Washing & Treating Specialist – 7 For All Mankind
4.Luca Braschi – Creative Developer – Blue Alchemy (Consultant – Uniqlo & J Brand )

The talk was moderated by Sandeep Agarwal . We now bring the comments of the panelists which came out during the talk.

Some of the common points that came out during the discussion were as below but of course there was consensus of various other points of discussion.

• Global standards need to be created by the industry only and implemented by the govt.
• Cannot wait for consumers to demand sustainable products. brands and supply chain have to do it.
• Technology is very important and we need to find ways to optimize usage of existing technologies and resources.

Andrea Perego

Andrea was of the opinion that the final consumer is more focused on the price and quality and he may sometime look at sustainabiity also . However, it is the job of brands and retailers to push it even if the consumer does not realize it is sustainable.

Technology – Andrea said “We are having a lot of new technology and we can do a lot of things with the technology and machines that are available in the market. Sustainable technology and washings are more expensive than normal one. Sustainabliity for me is also optimization of processes. A platform like HIGGS index can be useful to create global standards for sustainability.”

Daniele Lovato

He spoke of how too many people trying to get on the sustainability bandwagon and creating green washing . There are too many certifications and standards which dilute the efforts of sustainability and there is a need to narrow down these so that the efforts are more focused and customers can understand easily. He also said that solution for global standards must come from the industry.

DIFFERENT WASHES ASKED BY CONSUMERS – “Its like chicken and egg. Consumers will also be asking for new things but will also trust brands to do so . There will be shift to more visual, more authentic and not boring ! Online sales ensures sales of more photogenic and aggressive looks.”

Tech : Circularity programme is very important to save resources. A circular product does not need only a ciruclar industrial process but needs to be engineered from the beginning as a circular garment. So its not only washing but the entire system that needs to adapt to circularity. He spoke about using data to use in our garment industry. There is very little raw data being used and the next big thing is the use of software, technologies, AI and other tools to all stakeholders in the supply chain and we are ignoring this at the moment. Data is king !

Sustainability – When it becomes a standard across the industry – will be cheaper than producing traditionally. But until that moment it is going to be more expensive than standard one. In 2010-11 they offered their first eco collection called Earth keepers and prices were almost double compared to traditional but now the gap is closing . Currently a medium wash sustainable and same wash unsustainable – the difference would be 15-20%. Only on a higher scale of production the sustainable wash would be cheaper.

Luca Braschi

Luca mentioned that technologies like LASER AND OZONE lasers are very old but they were not used much . But now there is a push from the brands to use it more and more. He also spoke about new generation of chemicals which are synchronizing with these technologies to achieve the right result . It is currently a priority not only about matching samples of the customers but also to do in the right and sustainable ways.

He did not expect much change in consumer awareness of sustainable products post covid . Consumers are looking for references and what brands can do is offer transparency . He also felt that demand for health and safety finishings was getting higher now.
Performance properties are getting more and more important.

“Technologies to sanitize existing garments so that huge inventories can be used appropriately has to be created. Have to use existing technologies in a better way by combining them. Working with very low liquid ratio – some machine makers are working on and can help.”

Uniqlo set up their own R&D centre with very clear targets like saving water 95-99% converted with traditional methods and in 3-4 years combining available technologies like laser and ozone and new generation chemicals . Uniqlo is also transfering this technology to their contractors. Being a big organization like them also helps to push change .

Being sustainable with a low price is a big challenge and that is being addressed. He felt that he did not like when the market is becoming technology addicted – the washers have also to use their brains to find solutions in existing resources. At the end numbers would justify that you did something sustainable. It is sometimes possible using simple technologies also .

Most sustainable wash- At Uniqlo they did was a wash in which they dried the garment only once , combining all processes in same bath, created a laser application with real effects and not requiring another application and save over 95% water compared to traditional wash and used only three chemicals.

Vasco Pizarro

Vasco spoke about optimization and a resource conservation . Substituting PP spray and stones. Since Pizarro is located in Portugal where the costs are high, they to optimize resources. Eg they have aaved over what 50% in steam used.

Vasco also mentioned that there is too much focus on washing whereas the impact on evironment during cotton production, yarn and fabric production and ultimately how garment is used is ignored. Too many certifications are focused on washing and miss the above points including the human impact. He did not see much special demand seen for health and safety finishings.

Speaking on technolgoies, he also felt that a lot of road needs to be covered with existing technolgoies. He mentioned that they had developed a zero closed water system with Jeanologia which can have a great impact and enables them to use same water in our washing for 22 days with marginal loss . This saves hundreds of thousands of litres per month.

He also mentioned that re-purposing existing technologies like ozone would be important. Wiser wash technology has been very well accepted on the market. Pizarro also has programmes with retailers on the garments that are already at the stores and are not selling for re-treating and re-purposing them. They work out special processes to help them re-purpose . He also was of strong view that competitors must talk to each other and try to create industry standards.

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When the going gets tough – the tough get going !
Adriano Goldschmied and Ace Rivington founder, Beau Lawrence, have come together during the lockdown to discuss the business model of the future. Inspired from the need for simplicity and durable products they decided to launch a brand built around an iconic item, with earth friendly materials and with the mission to inspire future designers and brands on how to build something with little money.

Ace Gold Green^TM is introducing their first product, TYPE ONE TEE, on Kickstarter in early June 2020. Both coming from strong backgrounds in the jean world, they couldn’t steer away from their heritage of indigo by adding a signature true indigo binding at the neckline that will fade down with every wash and wear. The t-shirt is also built with a blend of natural fibers and finished with RECYCROM dyestuffs created from 100% recycled textile materials supplied by Officina +39. For updates, follow the brand launch by signing up at their website: AceGoldGreen.com

What makes Ace Gold Green^TM TYPE ONE TEE unique:

• THE PROJECT THAT IS COMPLETELY DESIGNED REMOTELY DURING THE LOCKDOWN
• ACE GOLD GREEN^TM REDEFINES THE NEW MARKET TO NOT OVERDESIGN
• WE’RE BRINGING TO THE MARKET A RELEVANT SIMPLE T-SHIRT
• THE T-SHIRT IS MADE WITH THE MOST SUSTAINABLE FIBERS; A BLEND OF HEMP AND TENCEL
• THIS ONE IS THE FIRST T-SHIRT THAT IS 100% COTTON FREE
• HEMP IS ONE OF THE MOST ANTIBACTERIAL FIBER FOUND IN NATURE
• TENCEL IS THE LEADING SUSTAINABLE FIBER
• TOTALLY RECYCLABLE AND BIODEGRADABLE
• PERFECT BASIC FIT THAT IS GENDERLESS
• MADE IN LA RESPECTING PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT
• WE DYE IN LA USING ONLY RECYCROM COLORS OF OFFICINA+ 39 MADE OUT OF RECYCLED COLORS
• LOWEST CO2 IMPACT
• CATERING TO THE NEW ERA OF DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

ABOUT ADRIANO GOLDSCHMIED: 

Recognized as “The Godfather of Denim” Goldschmied is known well throughout the apparel industry for innovation and creativity of the many brands and businesses he has helped to launch throughout his career.  In the early 1980s his business incubator, Genius Group, founded Diesel, Replay, A Gold E and many others.  Settling in the States in 2000, Goldschmied lead the industry creating many of the most recognizable brands we know today, including AG Adriano Goldschmied and Goldsign. In addition to his current design and branding work at Genious Group LLC, he and his partner, Vincenzo Marrocco, also oversees denim and knit supply business through “House of Gold”.  HouseOfGold.la

ABOUT BEAU LAWRENCE:

Beau Lawrence, Founder and President of Ace Rivington, has over 20 years of experience working in design and development of men’s jeanswear. The former Director of Men’s Denim at Guess Jeans, and VP of Design and Merchandising at Neff Headwear, Lawrence ventured out on his own to launch Ace Rivington in November of 2013. Ace Rivington is a men’s and women’s premium denim brand based in Santa Barbara, California.  Launched on Kickstarter in 2013 with an iconic sweatshirt, the company has expanded to include a full collection of denim lifestyle products and operates its own retail store and wholesale business.AceRivington.com

ACE GOLD GREEN^TM PRESS CONTACT: tephy@acegoldgreen.com

Tonell Srl , one of the most innovative technological solution providers in the denim industry, has come up with an interesting and innovative equipment to help stores , factories and other players post garment production process to combat infection problem in clothing during these covid times. The machine is a kind of OZONE CHAMBER named as SANICARE which comes in different sizes and shapes according to the usage. In a video interview with Sandeep Agarwal , Alice Tonello explains the concept of the new innovation and does a practical display of the same. Check out the full video here .

Especially for the clothing stores, this could be really helpful as it improves the shopping experience of the consumer, said Alice Tonello

Alice Tonello mentions that according to an external lab test report, The Ozone Chamber claims to kill the pathogens and the bacteria from 93% to 100% . However so far as the Corona Virus is concerned , the machine is not yet tested on the same as the Italian govt does not allow currently to make these tests on corona virus. However, Alice is confident that it should be able to work on the same and they will do the testing once govt. allows them to do so.

SANICARE  is available in three different sizes – Small(S), Medium(M) and Large(L) and it offers two options – One is Garment Sanctification and the other is Room Sanctification. 

So in case a user would like to sanitize their store, the same can be done by opening the doors of this machine for sometime (depends on size of the room ) and the room will be sanitized with the ozone process from the machine. It is important to understand that the sanitization process of the room should be performed when there are no consumers in the store and preferably during night hours.

So far as the garment disinfection is concerned, the machine showcased by Tonello during the demonstration can accommodate 7-10 garments , with some shoes and bags inside the disinfection chamber and it will take few minutes to disinfect them all .

Once the user puts the garments inside, the door needs to be closed and the option of Garment Sanctification needs to be selected. On selection , blue light inside the chamber confirms the initiation of process and normally the machine takes about 20 minutes to sanitize all the products inside the chamber.

SANICARE is available not only for the stores but also for the factories. The users can order the machine according to the usage size i.e, Small, Medium and Large.

This is quite interesting and I congratulate you for creating such innovative products . I think we need more of such innovations at this critical time – Sandeep Agarwal , Founder Denimsandjeans.com

Alice Tonello can be contacted on her email a.tonello@tonello.com . Besides , Tonello is now on our Digital Sourcing Platform – DE BRANDS, you can now connect with the company at the app . To download , visit :

IOS Link -https://lnkd.in/gBRexsX
Android Link – https://lnkd.in/g2bT6C9
Buyer registration link – https://lnkd.in/gNdAj3v