Fashion brands are exploring alternatives to today’s standard fibres and materials, with key players and next generation designers focused on more sustainable substitutes that include recently rediscovered and
re-engineered old favourites as well as a new wave of innovative regenerated textiles being produced by fibre technology and material science companies, such as Infinited Fiber.
Next generation designers are leading the new "material revolution" that is embracing radical experimentation and a growing commitment to sustainability. Yesterday bought us the latest glimpse of Infinited fibres revolutionary textiles featured in Reubens Selby's eponymous debut collection, showcased in the idyllic courtyard of the iconic Ritz Paris.
The timing of the collections' debut could not have been any better as the day also marked the fourth anniversary of the Finnish biotechnology company. Infinited Fiber’s have created a breakthrough textile recycling technology that offers a solution for the massive piles of used clothes currently being incinerated and piling up at landfills. The patented technology can use any cellulose-rich waste – including discarded textiles, used cardboard, or even agricultural waste like straw – and regenerate it into high-quality fibres with the look and feel of cotton. This can be done over and over again while retaining the high quality of the fibres and even improving on the fibre each time the process happens and is set to revolutionise the industry.
Image Courtesy of: REUBEN SELBY featuring trousers made with Infinited Fiber | Look 9
Working with Kingston graduate Hannah Sheridan as head of design, Reuben Selby’s 14-look collection blends streetwear essentialism with contemporary high-end styling and details in an exploration of form, presented as singular items with two distinct cuts. Underlying the collection’s ideology is a desire to highlight the radical shifts required to bring the fashion industry into a new era of sustainability. Each garment has been crafted with careful consideration for the functional needs of the wearer, as well as the impact and purpose of production.
“For my generation, and for me personally, designing a collection with anything but the highest sustainability credentials would just be wrong. I believe it is my duty to do everything the right way when it comes to my brand, and to also encourage other brands to follow suit. I am proud to work with and support Infinited Fiber Company’s cutting-edge technology, which can help me and the industry as a whole find solutions for some of the biggest problems of our time, and move towards zero waste and circularity,” the brand’s Founder and Creative Director Reuben Selby said.
“For my generation, and for me personally, designing a collection with anything but the highest sustainability credentials would just be wrong. I believe it is my duty to do everything the right way when it comes to my brand, and to also encourage other brands to follow suit. I am proud to work with and support Infinited Fiber Company’s cutting-edge technology, which can help me and the industry as a whole find solutions for some of the biggest problems of our time, and move towards zero waste and circularity,”
In Reuben Selby’s debut collection, the regenerated fibres in the textiles are created out of 100% post-consumer textile waste.
The collection included four individual pieces made with Infinited Fiber: a pair of cargo trousers and shorts both made of a denim fabric created with 50% Infinited Fiber, 50% organic cotton; a pair of cargo trousers made of denim created with 65% Infinited Fiber, 35% organic cotton (as above featured image); and a tailored top made out of shirting material created with 50% Infinited Fiber, 50% organic cotton.
Image Courtesy of: REUBEN SELBY featuring trousers made with Infinited Fiber | Looks 12, 11, & 1
“When designing the Infinited Fiber pieces, comfort and adaptability was key. From design to realisation, circularity was embedded into every stage of the process, with any offcuts being sent back to Infinited Fiber to be recycled into new fabrics. In this regard, it was important for me to create garments that could be worn again and again and loved by the wearer. The two key shapes: the Cargo and the Shirt, encapsulate to me elements of utility, wearability, and comfort, hopefully creating a small collection of pieces which will be loved for longer,” Reuben Selby’s Head of Design Hannah Sheridan said.
Working the same impactful design fluidity and sophisticated flair recognisable from Hannah’s graduate collection into Reuben’s vision, the team presents a balanced contrast that highlights a desire to create pieces that complement the style of the wearer, not dictate it.
“It is beyond exciting to see all the research and innovation we have put in over the past four years and more on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week. Reuben Selby is an inspirational young visionary, and we are proud to have him as a champion of our technology. It is also such a joy to see how Hannah Sheridan used her sophisticated design flair to turn the fabrics made with Infinited Fiber into beautiful, wearable garments,” said Infinited Fiber Company Chief Marketing Officer Ann Sarimo.
Here at RawAssembly, we couldn't agree more with Infinited Fiber. As an industry we have all been watching and waiting to see the results of years of research, vision and innovation take centre stage and this week has delivered just that. This is just the start of an exciting and innovative new era of materials and Infinited fiber are definitely leading the way.
About Infinited Fiber Company What if you could stop used textiles from ending up in dumpsters and instead capture the value of their precious raw materials? Regenerate them into beautiful, new, cotton-like textile fibres, over and over again. That’s what Infinited Fiber Company’s technology does. It can turn any cellulose-rich material – like old clothes, used cardboard, or agricultural waste like straw – into a unique, biodegradable, and re-recyclable soft fibre with a natural look and feel. The whole range of wardrobe items from T-shirts, to hoodies, to dress shirts to jeans, can be made with the fibre. Its spectacularly high dye uptake means further fashion and environmental upside. Learn more: https://infinitedfiber.com/
About Reuben Selby Sitting at the intersection of introversion and expression, Reuben Selby frames an anxious generation’s desire for certainty, through dress. Built on reflection, the brand serves an external monologue that needs not be validated by the spotlight, but through acceptance and self-empowerment. Each garment’s carefully considered constructions allow the wearer the freedom to explore their aesthetic, without sacrificing comfort on body and mind. At Reuben Selby; clothes are an introspective showcase – for the wearer, not the viewer.
Source: Infinited Fiber official press release 5th October 2020
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