Inside Global Denim’s Circular Project with Mexico’s Universidad Anahuac
Mexico-based mill Global Denim teamed up with Universidad Anáhuac México to provide students with an educational experience around circular fashion.
The collaborative project, dubbed Circular Denim Moda Anáhuac México, saw 21 sixth-semester students in the Fashion and Innovation Bachelor’s Degree program create a fashion collection using circular principles. Spearheaded by Global Denim’s creative director Anatt Finkler, the initiative invited students to actively address challenges in the fashion industry with creative solutions.
The initiative ran during the January to April 2025 semester. An intial phase focused on research, as students studied sustainable brands and learned about traceability, cotton’s life cycle assessment, fiber innovation and low-impact dyeing options, among other topics.
Entering phase two, the pupils performed hands-on experiments with circular textile methods, trialing material techniques and assessing the feasibility of different solutions.
Moving into the third phase, the students used the information and experience they had gained to inform a collection of design proposals. Each participant submitted 15 ideas, from which three were chosen for physical production. Using sustainable fabrics from Global Denim—featuring materials like recycled cotton and TENCEL™ Lyocell—the students made three complete looks. Their creations had to be primarily denim, with other materials representing 10 percent or less of the looks. They also had to use tactics that minimize waste, such as laying out patterns to minimize cutting leftovers, using scraps for accessory production or creating multi-use convertible garments.
The final looks were captured in a professional photo shoot, with stylists and makeup artists on hand. This content was then distributed on social media and on the school’s channels.
In a press release about the project, Global Denim noted that this project pushed the students to use critical thinking. It also prepared them for solving these challenges on a larger scale when they enter the industry after graduation. The mill writes, “Beyond the garments themselves, this project instilled in students a critical and informed perspective on their future roles as designers—creatives with conscience, capable of offering real solutions to the challenges facing the fashion industry. Circular Denim: Global Denim + Anáhuac Moda México stands as a living example of how partnerships between academia and industry can generate purpose-driven innovation.”