[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] As 'must-have environmental' trends beyond just being eco-friendly emerge as important consumer trends, related fashion companies are also taking action.
LF (CEO Oh Gyusik)'s women's clothing brand At Corner launched the 'Serenity Fit Denim' made from eco-friendly denim material as a new product for this spring and summer season. This product uses Bossa denim, known as a representative eco-friendly material in Europe.
Bossa denim fabric is produced in the most efficient way that saves water and natural gas during the process. It uses naturally derived chemicals and dyes and utilizes yarn extracted from recycled PET bottles.
The women's suits newly introduced by At Corner this season also sourced eco-friendly materials from Italy's Riversa and were created through Andrea Teslsa, a famous manufacturer with eco-friendly production patents. The tweed material used in the suits underwent an eco-friendly process that minimizes carbon dioxide emissions and is designed to be easily biodegradable.
Samsung C&T's fashion division casual brand Beanpole also launched 'B Cycle,' which uses eco-friendly materials across major lines such as men's, ladies', and kids'.
Beanpole Men's uses Gore-Tex fabric treated with an eco-friendly water repellent as the outer material and designs padding and coats with PrimaLoft, a down alternative filling, as the lining. All products are made from 100% recyclable materials.
Additionally, through the material development team and R&D of Samsung C&T's fashion division, they developed filling material recycled from waste PET bottles and introduced products such as reversible quilting jumpers and vests. The newly developed filling material provides functionality comparable to PrimaLoft and is more than 50% cheaper in price.
They also released RDS down products certified as ethically sourced down without animal cruelty for the first time this year. Starting with the launch of the first RDS-certified trucker jumper in the traditional industry, they plan to apply it to various products in the upcoming fall and winter season.
There are also brands that practice sustainability by upcycling discarded waste materials to create unique, one-of-a-kind products. One such brand is the Swiss recycling brand Freitag. Freitag makes bag bodies from discarded truck tarps, straps from car seat belts, and finishes with rubber tubes.
All materials used are only those that have been used for a certain period, enhancing the meaning of recycling. The bags made this way boast strong durability, and each product has a different design depending on the reused tarp. Freitag succeeded in reducing consumers' resistance to the materials by leveraging this rarity and transforming the perception into a positive one as a unique bag in the world.
An industry insider said, "The fashion industry's actions for the next generation can only be told through the clothes they produce," adding, "Recycling waste materials requires more cost and time than existing processes, but we continue to invest in research and development (R&D) for sustainability."
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