Prada’s new collection uses recycled nylon

The blog has been reporting the lag in sustainability initiatives within the textiles and fashion industries for years but that seems to be changing.

Prada announced last month that it has launched a new line of its iconic Prada bags called Re-Nylon, with the bags made of Aquafil’s ECONYL® regenerated yarn.  The ultimate goal is to convert all Prada virgin nylon into regenerated ECONYL® nylon by the end of 2021. I do wonder how much nylon Prada consumes annually?

The launched Prada collection will include a belt bag, a shoulder bag, a tote bag, a duffle, and two Prada backpacks. To showcase the processes behind the Re-Nylon initiative. National Geographic has produced “What We Carry”, a short video series that take viewers across the supply chain of this project. Each episode showcases a different source of the recycled materials that comprise ECONYL® yarn, permitting viewers a glimpse inside the workings of the factories and facilities that produce the regenerated yarn.

Stella McCartney, meanwhile, launched under the adidas brand, a 100% recyclable hoodie made from garment waste called NuCycl™ fiber by Evrnu; and a tennis dress created with Microsilk™, a protein-based material that is made with renewable ingredients, as well as cellulose blended yarn, in partnership with Bolt Threads.

adidas by Stella McCartney Infinite Hoodie was created with advanced textile innovations company Evrnu. Using NuCycl™ by Evrnu technology, the Infinite Hoodie is made from 60% NuCycl™ and 40% organic cotton that has been diverted from landfills and can be reused again and again to be remade into a high-performance product.

adidas by Stella McCartney Biofabric Tennis Dress is a prototype concept incubated in partnership with Bolt Threads, a company that specializes in bioengineered sustainable materials and fibers. The tennis dress is the first of its kind, made with cellulose blended yarn and Microsilk™, a protein-based material that is made with renewable ingredients, like water, sugar, and yeast and has the ability to fully biodegrade at the end of its life.

“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.”