Adidas by Stella McCartney, in collaboration with Evrnu and Bolt Threads, designed a tennis dress made of engineered silk and a hoodie said to be infinitely recyclable.
Annually, 92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced worldwide, most of which ends up on the landfill. Adidas by Stella McCartney is aiming to lead the way to more sustainable design solutions. The hoodie and tennis dress are both a proof-of-concept of eco-conscious products.
The so-called Infinite Hoodie was created with advanced textile innovations company Evrnu. Evrnu diverts textile waste from the landfill and sorts it into different fibre compositions. Impurities are removed and the remaining polymers are dissolved and separated. The resulting pulp, similar to viscose, is spun into a new fibre called Nucycle, which can be used in the production of new fabrics. Adidas by Stella McCartney used this material to create a hoodie, made of 60 per cent NuCycle and 40 per cent organic cotton. Theoretically, the material can be infinitely recycled.
The second item is a dress made with Microsilk by Bolt Threads, a protein based material that is made from renewable ingredients like water, sugar and yeast. The material is fully biodegradable at the end of its life. The Microsilk is used in combination with cellulose blended yarn.
Stella McCartney said: “Fashion is one of the most harmful industries to the environment. We can’t wait any longer to search for answers and alternatives. By creating a truly open approach to solving the problem of textile waste, we can help empower the industry at large to bring more sustainable practices into reality. With Adidas by Stella McCartney we’re creating high performance products that also safeguard the future of the planet.”
Photos: Adidas