Jonathan Cohen Launches Latest Fashion Line to ‘Reinvent Waste’

Fashion designer Jonathan Cohen has used Econyl nylon to create his ten fall/winter 2020 pieces in a nod to zero-waste design. The designer says the use of Econyl furthers the company’s commitment to “taking responsibility for its impact on the world.”

Cohen says designing with Econyl has given him the opportunity to get creative and reinvent waste.

Econyl is a brand of regenerated nylon that is made from recycled waste instead of oil and is also regenerable an infinite number of times without any compromise in quality, according to Aquafil, the company that makes Econyl nylon. The yarn is made from waste from landfills and oceans including fishnets, carpets, textile scraps and industrial plastic.

Jonathan Cohen is the latest in a long line of designers using Econyl. Aquifil says more than a thousand brands use the yarn for textile products including sportswear, swimwear, and bags. These include Speedo, Outerknown, Stella McCartney, and Adidas.

Fashion brands are increasingly saying they are aware of the affect their resource use has on the planet and attempting to minimize that affect. Most recently, Nike presented new athletic apparel and footwear for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo that features sustainable materials; the clothing was designed for minimal waste, the company says.

Since 2000, global clothing production globally has doubled while utilization has decreased by 36%, resulting in up to 73% of all produced clothing (equivalent to $460 billion) ending in landfill annually, according to Planet Tracker.

Source: www.environmentalleader.com