GOING BANANAS
ALGAE, MUSHROOMS AND WASTE: THE NEW, SUSTAINABLE GENERATION OF FIBERS AND FABRICS COMES FROM THE MOST UNLIKELY SOURCES. HERE IS AN OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE MATERIALS
FABRIC REPORT
ECONYL
Italian company Aquafil manufactures its Econyl fiber from old fishing nets and other polyamide waste – the nylon retains its properties without any loss of quality, thanks to the complex regeneration process. The fibers are made into yarns for fashion and sports clothing. Today, many brands rely on Econyl blends, e.g., adidas for swimwear and Prada for nylon bags; in 2020 Wolford will even be bringing out tights made from pure Econyl. www.econyl.com
FLYLEATHER BY NIKE
It looks, smells and feels like real leather: Nike’s new high-tech Flyleather material is made from a minimum of 50% leather fibers, which have been pressed together with bonding agents to form a fabric. Leather production creates large quantities of grinding dust and waste scraps of material, which form the basis for Flyleather. It is lighter and more resistant than full-grain leather; and, in comparison to conventional leather production, water consumption is much lower. The crux: it cannot be labeled as real leather; and the shoes are not vegan either. www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/innovation/flyleather
SEACELL
German manufacturer Smartfiber uses brown algae from Iceland: the dried, powdered algae leaves are processed with cellulose in a Lyocell process to create SeaCell fibers. The mineral-rich brown algae give the textiles a soft, silky feel, look after the skin and are biodegradable. They are usually worn close to the body: FTC offers cashmere knitwear with SeaCell; the Funktion Schnitt label mixes wellness fibers with pima cotton in t-shirts; Hugo Boss and Palmers use it in underwear. www.smartfiber.de/fasern/seacelltm/
SYNTHETIC LEATHER MADE FROM BANANAS, PINEAPPLE, MUSHROOMS
Some brands have headed to the world of plants in search of a leather substitute. Swiss label Qwstion sells bags made from Bananatex, a fabric manufactured from the fibers of the Abacá banana plant. Pineapple leaves are processed to create Piñatex: the robust, lightweight material is similar to full-grain leather and is used to make bags, shoes and clothing. Several start-ups are currently betting on mushroom skin being the material of the future: the mushrooms grow on agricultural waste products – practically in uniformly the desired color and size. Mushroom leather is breathable, durable, organic and heat-resistant. No mushroom products are commercially available yet, however, but here are some company and material names to look out for: MycoFlex, MycoWorks, Amadou Leather. www.bananatex.info/ www.ananas-anam.com/
NUCYCL
In July Stella McCartney presented recyclable sweatshirts for adidas made from 40% organic cotton and 60% NuCycl. Manufactured by US company Evrnu, NuCycl is due to launch in the coming year. The fiber is composed of shredded waste offcuts that are liquefied and then spun into a new yarn. The material can be given different properties depending on the raw materials used. www.evrnu.com/nucycl
FIBERS MADE FROM CATERING WASTE
Milk, corn, coffee grounds and crab shells: all of these raw ingredients can be made into fibers – that often come with outstanding properties. The new viscose, as it were, manufactured from waste from the food industry. The fibers are produced using quite complex processes and are, therefore, usually very expensive. It remains to be seen to what extent they will penetrate the market.