The R Collective puts fashion’s waste back to work to divert fabrics from incinerators and into closets in industry-first collaborative recycling project
The R Collective launches their breakthrough RECIRCLE recycled silk knit capsule collection made from recycling luxury IP-sensitive silk fabrics, which otherwise are routinely incinerated, as this textile-waste-reducing social impact fashion brand makes circular fashion come to life.
Designed by award-winning knitwear designer Grace Lant, RECIRCLE’s two-piece USD195-220 priced collection is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter until 8th October to galvanise customers into driving innovation and to prove the growing market for purpose-driven, responsible fashion, before the 8th October website retail launch.
Empowering the best sustainable designers
Hong Kong based British designer and London’s Central St Martins graduate, Grace Lant said, “I created the RECIRCLE box fit mesh shirt, with its neat collar, and RECIRCLE slim fit dress with its racer-style front and scooped back, to help to redefine consumerism whilst celebrating purpose-driven design. Fashion designers today must balance artistry with innovation if we’re together to make change happen. It’s time to stop talking about solutions – and get them into action.”
The R Collective collaborates with award-winning sustainable designers scouted from The Redress Design Award, the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition run by sister charity, Redress. Grace now joins The R Collective community of 10 designers.
Providing options to avoid incineration
RECIRCLE is created using 100% recycled silk yarn made from recycling excess fabrics from other fashion businesses that would otherwise routinely be incinerated.
Christina Dean, Founder and CEO The R Collective, says “We’ve had enough of the widespread industry norm of incinerating textile materials, including those carrying IP sensitive patterns, prints and logos. Globally 73% of materials that go into clothing end up in landfill or incinerators. We know there are better, albeit still challenging, ways to rescue and recycle these valuable materials back into clothes. At The R Collective, we work with several leading luxury brands to put a recycling, rather than incineration, supply chain into practice as we collaboratively manage some of fashion’s hardest textile waste,” she said.
A breakthrough recycling collaboration
To achieve this innovative recycled silk product, The R Collective partnered with High Fashion Group, China’s leading garment manufacturer that embraces sustainability and innovation.
Mr Will Lam, CEO of High Fashion Group, said, “Achieving circularity requires fashion stakeholders to collaborate. We all have key roles to play. This project demonstrates how we at High Fashion Group can magnify our key expertises in silk recycling, spinning and knitting by working with The R Collective’s challenging rescued textile waste streams, which too often otherwise continue to be incinerated.”
