What’s New, What’s Next: TENCEL x REFIBRA Denim, Part I
In honor of Kingpins Amsterdam, taking place Oct. 23-24, Carved in Blue thought there was no better time than now to touch base with the mills that consider TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ Denim to be a crucial part of their collections.
It’s been over two years since REFIBRA™ technology first became available. The fiber, which is made using upcycled cotton scraps and wood pulp from responsibly harvested forests, ties together two of the most important components in environmentally responsible denim: circularity and traceability.
In this two-part series, we check in with the mills to see what’s happening, what’s in the pipeline and why using REFIBRA™ technology is more important than ever.
ADM Denim
Location: Pakistan
What’s New:
Ozair
Why Now:
ADM is at the forefront of sustainable processes, ecological raw materials, solar power energy and saving water, we believe in responsible manufacturing. We feel that REFIBRA™ suits today’s ecological needs because it involves important resources – wood and cotton. Our customres are loving the fact that the process reduces use of water by 95% compared to cotton fabric and that manufacturing does not pollute the air, soil, or water.
Advance Denim
Location: China
What’s New:
As Advance Denim reaches for our goal of 90% sustainable fibers by 2023, REFIBRA™ is the perfect solution. The fact that it is transparent , traceable and recycled fiber that has add softness and strength to our denim is a homerun.
Advance Denim’s Eco Cycle collection includes blends with cotton/ TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™/ T400 in 6- 13 oz.
Anubha
Location: India
What’s New:
2628
REFIBRA™ with recycled polyester
The dyeing and all processes are low impact as we are using Bluesign®-approved clean chemistry in the whole production.
Artistic Fabric Mill
Location: Pakistan
What’s New:
We are offering REFIBRA™ in our ‘Redefine’ denim collection, which is denim with no fresh conventional cotton. We also have TENCELTM Modal in our Everdark denim that does not fade.
Artistic Milliners
Location: Pakistan
What’s New:
This season we’re blending the premium aesthetic with sustainability, keeping the product fresh, eye-catchy, up to date and elevated with more exciting features:
REFIBRA™ with selvedge
REFIBRA™ with overdyeing process
REFIBRA™ with almost 30 percent in overall composition
REFIBRA™ with organic cotton
Atlantic Mills
Location: Thailand
What’s New:
Second Life: We have options in indigo, black and black blue.
Why Now:
REFIBRA™ tells a great story. Spun additionally with cotton, we are able to create a true vintage product that is made from 100 percent recycled fibers, both of which later are biodegradable as well. REFIBRA™ provides strength to denim, which recycled cotton is unable to do.
Bossa
Location: Turkey
What’s New:
These REFIBRA™ blended articles are in the production stage. Our first is rigid, around 11.5 oz. This article is in Bossa’s brand new Savegrey color, which is a blue nuanced grey color with a SAVEBLUE technology. Being sensitive to energy and water consumption, our company has taken a great step in the sense of sustainability by combining natural fiber use and this concept. We save water at the rate of 85 percent in dyeing the products with the SAVEBLUE concept.
The other article is in our FUTURE DENIM concept. This is a 100 percent sustainable article. Elasticity is around 10 percent, and it is around 13 oz. The article is in SAVE LASER FRIENDLY color, which provide effects, scrapings and washes very easily. We are saving water and energy in the fabric production with SAVEBLUE technology, and we give an opportunity to save water and energy in garment washing stages with the laser friendly colors.
Why Now:
Leading the way in denim production, our company draws attention with its environmental sustainability. We are one of the business organizations that lead the way in textiles in both Turkey and the world through our completely ecological Re-Set collection, which started in 2006. Recycling is extremely important for our world with limited resources. As Bossa, we recycle unused yarns and fibers in the establishment by reusing them as a raw material. We also use recycled, sustainable fibers like REFIBRA™.
REFIBRA™ means Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. It is the most important fiber for Bossa’s sustainable collections. With its soft and draped structure, it is indispensable for summer collections.
Calik Denim
Location: Turkey
What’s New:
72016D
Lopez Twilight RB
Retro Soft
64 percent cotton, 18 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell, 18 percent TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ Lyocell
72017D
Lopez Nesta Blue RB
Retro Soft
64 percent cotton, 18 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell, 18 percent REFIBRA™
Why Now:
It is so important for us to produce with a sustainable approach as much as possible. Since TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ is a fiber that keeps such important features as softness, brightness and smoothness—and it contributes to the circular economy in the textile industry—it makes us happy to include this fiber in our collection.
Candiani Denim
Location: Italy
What’s New:
All developments using TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ are children to the Re-Gen family and are generated out of this first quality:
SK6262 K-OLD RECYCLED: This RCS- and GRS-approved, 12.75 oz., rigid denim is made of 50 percent Lyocell (TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™) and 50 percent recycled (post-industrial) cotton, dyed with our innovative dyeing technologies Indigo Juice® and Kitotex® and gently woven on our 1950s shuttle looms.
What’s Next:
In order to bring this innovation close to today’s consumer, we developed the stretch version of the Re-Gen: KR7556 K-OLD PURE. This full-width stretch fabric is RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) and OCS (Organic Claim Standard) certified and weights 13 oz. The composition is 66 percent TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ Lyocell, 32 percent organic cotton and 2 percent EA (recycled elastane). To stay in line with the Re-Gen concept, the stretch performance (25 percent) is created using the world’s first recycled elastomer, which Asahi Kasei has customized exclusively for Candiani Denim. The yarns are dyed with our innovative dyeing technologies Indigo Juice® and Kitotex® in order to reduce even further the environmental impact in terms of water, chemicals and energy consumption.
Why Now:
REFIBRA™ is a valuable ingredient for many aspects; it enhances the fabric on an aesthetic level, adding a fresh and natural shine to it. This is why many brands favor the raw look of this denim to the washed version.
Further, REFIBRA™ enhances the hand-feel of the Re-Gen. In combination with our Kitotex® technology, we create a denim that features an exceptional look and feel already in its raw state and allows us to minimize domestic washes thanks to the bacteriostatic properties of the Kitotex®.
In the pursuit to excel in the combination of ethics and aesthetics, Candiani chooses REFIBRA™ as a smart ingredient for its denim.
Cone Denim
Location: Mexico, China
What’s New:
Our Pump up the TENCEL™ capsule collection infuses a higher content of TENCEL™ and REFIBRA™ combined with our superior SGene® stretch technology and Distilled Indigo™ sustainable liquid indigo dyes. This collection provides a range of options for men’s and women’s silhouettes that maintain the integrity of the denim character while offering a more sustainably considered and comfortable jean.
Spring / Summer 2021
Light to mid-weights with great hand and drape
Stretch and non-stretch
Why Now:
This unisex collection was carefully designed to provide a great range of silhouettes from classic to authentic to fashion. We love the combination of sustainable softness and character these products bring to the table.
Lead photo courtesy of Candiani.