Pangaia develops the first 100% recycled denim jacket

PANGAIA, the science-meets-fashion brand has created a 100% recycled denim jacket with textile innovations company Evrnu.

Pangaia’s latest launch, the ‘Renu jacket', is the first of its kind. Collaborating with startup Evrnu, Pangaia aims to prove that recycled denim is here and ready to scale at large.

With this limited launch, which will be available on Pangaia.com from 16 February, Pangaia’s signature text block has been replaced with the edition number of each jacket.

It is the first denim product to be made entirely from Nucycl, Evrnu’s signature lyocell fibre created from pre-consumer and post-consumer cotton waste. The Renu jacket is the latest milestone in a mission to prove that sustainable innovation can be applied to any garment.

The jacket also marks the debut of new branding for the Pangaia Lab programme, which focuses on the testing and showcasing of new materials. All garments from the line will now feature a purple tag.

Dr Amanda Parkes, Pangaia’s Chief Innovation Officer, commented: "We’ve been on the entire journey with [Evrnu]. When they were talking about making denim, we got excited."

"Our other denim products — while we have had innovation with nettle and hemp — have had to be washed or blended with cotton. In terms of our push to find alternatives to traditional cotton as well as reduce waste, this hits both those points and is a breakthrough on the technological front."

The denim industry has long battled a reputation as one of the most polluting categories in fashion manufacturing. Despite progress made by brands and manufacturers, many issues still remain such as scaling next-generation materials.

Unlike mechanically recycled cotton, NuCycl does not need to be blended with any virgin fibre, which means it can easily be incorporated into any supply chain. What's more, it can be recycled again further down the line into a fibre of the same high quality.