013 Denim

013 Denim is made 50% from recycled denim garments from Tilburg and 50% from organic cotton yarn from India. For the first production, the denim garments were collected in February 2017 by residents of Tilburg and 6 primary schools in the city. The denim garments were then recycled into denim yarn by the textile company Wolkat in Morocco. The Indian cotton comes from Indian cotton farmers who get a better price for their cotton. Rabobank Foundation finances these types of cooperatives in South India with microcredits. The two yarns were woven together by Wolkat in Morocco into a new, sustainable textile fabric.

The yarns of 013 Denim symbolize the yarns that connect Tilburg as a city: the best of business, culture, education and citizens are literally and figuratively interwoven. In addition, the fabric tells a special story about the way in which this fabric was created.  Students of ROC Tilburg, School for Fashion and Tilburg artist Joris van Spaendonck used 013 Denim for a large work of art and various products that were presented to the Dutch royal family on King’s Day. Teachers from Fontys Academy for Creative Industries contributed ideas about the presentation on King’s Day.

The denim is supported by various parties in Tilburg who honour Tilburg’s textile past and want to work with textile in an innovative and sustainable way. The participating parties are: 013 Straatjes, Wolkat 100% circular recycling, Fontys Academy for Creative Industries, Michel Klop Fotografie, Rabobank Tilburg, ROC Tilburg | School for Fashion and VeertienElf Media. The project is supported by City marketing Tilburg, De Kerf & Van Sprang notaries, Municipality of Tilburg, Interpolis, Rabobank Foundation and Van Boekel Smits & Willems. Other parties that are part of the Tilburg Textile Group: Bonheur Horeca Groep, Havep, Innofa, Joris van Spaendonck, TextielMuseum and Tricorp.