CLASS will promote sustainable culture at Denim PV

“In London, we will bring forward its vision and strategy with a set of initiatives, talks and projects,” said Giusy Bettoni, CEO and founder of CLASS.

CLASS will bring its Smart Materials Bank, an open and inspirational resource and educative tool for designers, students and brands which will feature some of the most innovative materials on the market. Like a seed-bank for a better future, the Smart Materials Bank has been conceived as an inspirational source to allow brands, designers and researchers to discover and experiment with a fine selection of sustainable textiles, yarns and fashion components.

This year, Italian denim manufacturer Candiani Denim will officially join the Smart Materials Bank with its ultimate smart collections. In particular, the ReGen, winner of the 2019 ITMA Sustainable Award, is a rigid selvedge fabric composed of 50 per cent Refibra fibres and 50 per cent recycled fibre. ReLast is a stretch fabric, composed of organic cotton and the world’s first Roica EF premium stretch yarn made with 58 per cent of pre-consumer recycled content, the Roica EF comes with the Global Recycled Standard - GRS certification by the Textile Exchange.

“At CLASS we constantly monitor the textile business looking for sustainable and innovative products. Our Smart Materials Bank, the result of such observatory, is open to creatives who can purchase at affordable prices samples and small quantities of sustainable materials up to 50 meters,” said Luca Olivini, Eco Hub material manager of CLASS.

As sustainability consultant for Première Vision, Bettoni will curate a programme of #SmartTalks with some of the most influential players in the industry. The programme will focus on the concept of Jeans ReDesign: denim becomes smarter with many different expressions, interactions and brand new solutions dedicated to contemporary consumers. The series will include The Jeans Redesign Guidelines by Make Fashion Circular. A talk will be dedicated to the new generation of contemporary fibres and circular economy business models. Other talks will focus on the role of the designer as an enzymatic power triggering sustainable change in fashion and the role and the innovative design strategies of brands and retailers bringing together circular economy and a new level of aesthetics, performances and unexpected multiple lifecycles.  

At booth b14, CLASS will also showcase the innovations of some of its cutting-edge partners.

CLASS partner Roica by Asahi Kasei has teamed up with Italian Denim manufacturer Candiani Denim to create ReSolve, Candiani Denim’s newest fabric, composed of organic cotton and a customised Roica V550 premium degradable stretch yarn developed exclusively for Candiani Denim. The Roica V550 breaks down without releasing harmful substance under the testing environment according to Hohenstein Environmental Compatibility certification. Made and engineered by Asahi Kasei R&D team, and produced in Roica German plant, the yarn offers additional and relevant circular economy advantages linked to material health as proved by a Gold Level Material Health Certificate by the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute for a safe and biological end of life cycle.  

Supreme Green Cotton, the ultimate GMO-free, water saving (-40 per cent) and most cutting-edge premium quality fibre matching the requirements for high-end garments, thanks to excellent uniformity, superior strength, contamination free and long eco-fibres up to 30.5 mm. Varvaressos  is a leading Greek yarn manufacturer bringing cotton to a whole new level of sustainability thanks to an advanced satellite-powered drip irrigation system at the foot of Mount Olympus and a set of influential eco-certifications that grant 100 per cent traceable products and attest corporate responsibility.

Co.Lab is a collaborative smart platform and research-lab aiming to create a new way of making fashion smart. For the first time, leading textile manufacturers will join forces to develop responsible and ready-to-wear collections with a high-tech sustainable imprint. “We teamed up with Tintex, the leading manufacturer of ‘naturally advanced’ jersey fabrics, and leading garment manufacturers such as Becri, Confetil and Pedrosa & Rodrigues to create an innovative brand-new collaborative business model, a multi-leveled set of skills ranging from fabrics making to style development, production as well as marketing and communication,” said Bettoni.

The three final collections will focus on water-saving and naturally advanced soft-touch garments developed with the next generation of sustainable chemistry. The ranges have obtained the influential and responsible PETA certification and are the perfect solution for brands that want to match sweaters, t-shirts and jumpers to their jeans offer.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (PC)