Positive fashion news deserves extra attention. That is why FashionUnited highlights a number of noteworthy stories every two weeks. Today: A toolkit for regenerative designers, a bag made from barley, Monsoon Accessorize providing student finance for students at the London College of Fashion (LCF) and Central Saint Martins (CSM), University of the Arts London (UAL), and Puma expanding its Re:Fibre technology.
Toolkit launched to help designers develop into ‘regenerative leaders’
Researchers from The Hague University of Applied Sciences have launched the ‘Regenerative Leadership Transformation Toolkit’ in collaboration with i-did. This was reported by Dr Kim Poldner, lecturer in circular entrepreneurship at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, to FashionUnited and can be read in a message on the school’s English-language website (THAUS.com/news).
The toolkit aims to provide designers and entrepreneurs with the strategies and tools needed to promote regenerative and sustainable practices within the fashion and textile industry. It is a direct result of a research project led by researchers from The Hague University of Applied Sciences (Ishwari Thopte, senior researcher circular business).
Regeneration is a term in the context of sustainability that you hear more and more often. But, where sustainability usually revolves around reducing or minimizing (negative) impact on people and the environment, regeneration is about making a positive impact. An active contribution is made to the recovery and strengthening of both the environment and society.
“The transition to a circular economy is stalling due to continued consumption,” says Dr Kim Poldner in the statement. She emphasises that while technological innovation and new business models are important, the focus should be on our personal responsibility and influence. “The toolkit can help with the inner transformation that is needed to create sustainable change in practice within the circular business community,” says Poldner.
The toolkit uses principles from the ancient Indian chakra system to structure leadership development. It also includes practical tools such as templates and checklists to support regenerative practices in different organizations.
The toolkit – a four-page interactive PDF – is accessible online via the school’s English-language news release.
Poldner is an expert in sustainable fashion and circularity. She is a researcher, teacher and speaker.
Bier meets fashion: The ‘first’ bag made with beer-based material
Arda Biomaterials and Been London have joined forces to launch what they claim is the first handbag made from brewer’s grain waste, the companies announced in a press release. The leather-like material, called New Grain, comes from London’s ‘Beer Mile’.
Developed by Arda Biomaterials and made from waste grain, New Grain replaces plastics with plant proteins, mimicking the structure of collagen—the protein leather is made of. The collaboration with the brewery has resulted in a scalable material, it says. The handbag is the first in an upcoming collection of accessories, including wallets, laptop cases, and more.
The production process is said to generate 97 percent less CO2 emissions, compared to traditional leather. In addition, the harmful tanning process is avoided, which should contribute to a cleaner environment and zero microplastics.
Monsoon Accessorize provides student finance for “groundbreaking fashion students”
Retail group Monsoon Accessorize is to fund “pioneering students” from the MA Fashion Futures programme at the London College of Fashion (LCF) and Central Saint Martins (CSM), University of the Arts London (UAL), the company announced in a press release. The move follows a successful pilot in which the retail group provided financial support to two students.
Monsoon Accessorize wants to promote sustainable thinking as part of the company’s interest in sustainability and innovation in the fashion industry. Now, the retail group is looking for students with a demonstrable commitment to sustainability, with a focus on regenerative fashion, including raw materials, processes and design. It is also looking to see if students have an interest in zero-waste design and digital innovation, such as solutions for pre-consumer waste and products that do not meet quality control. Monsoon Accessorize wants to fund students “who are struggling financially and who will benefit from post-graduate education to realise their full potential”.
Founded in 1994, Monsoon Accessorize Trust supports and empowers people from ‘disadvantaged communities’. It helps create lasting change through projects in education, healthcare, income generation and disaster relief. “We believe that working with trusted, local charities maximises the impact of every donation – and we always choose partners with strong expertise in their local communities.”
Puma scales up production of replica football shirts with Re:Fibre technology
Puma scales its textile-to-textile-recycling innovation Re:Fibre, as announced in a press release. The sportswear brand announced at the end of 2023 that it would equip all its replica football shirts with the textile-to-textile product this year. The result: 46,000 Re:Fibre shirts produced in 2023. Now this technology will be scaled up.
Re:Fibre will reduce textile waste and reduce Puma’s reliance on plastic bottles to produce items made with recycled polyester. The sportswear brand is now exploring ways to recycle polyester, including thermo-mechanical and chemical recycling techniques, which will allow Puma to significantly increase its textile waste recycling capacity, it said.
The company aims to make 100 percent of its polyester products from textile waste. “It’s important to rethink how we produce and move to a more circular business model, and Re:Fibre is at the heart of that.”
Source: fashionunited.nl
