NEW YORK – Tommy Hilfiger has announced it will offer 100 per cent recycled cotton denim styles in its upcoming Spring 2019 Tommy Jeans global collection in what it claims is a first for the luxury sector. The sustainable pieces from the collection were developed at the PVH Denim Centre in Amsterdam using leftover cotton from cutting tables and factory floors. The company also said sewing thread was made from recycled plastic bottles, buttons from previous seasons’ unused materials, and hand-tags from recycled paper. Designs are set to include mom jeans, a unisex trucker jacket and tapered jeans.
Tommy Hilfiger says materials were recycled using the Denim Center’s smart mechanical process, which uses less water and fewer chemicals, while also reducing waste and generating less carbon dioxide than traditional methods.
“We have a responsibility to future generations to manufacture products in a more thoughtful way to protect our environment,” Tommy Hilfiger said in a press statement. “Starting with how we design and produce some of our denim styles, we want to inspire consumers to make sustainable changes.”
The US label has also announced it will include more 100 per cent recycled styles in future collections.
Last summer, C&A set the bar in this area with the launch of what could arguably claim to be the world’s most sustainable jeans. The leading European clothing retailer’s line are Cradle to Cradle Certified at the Gold level. Designed in partnership with Fashion for Good, the jeans were made with completely sustainable materials.
The Cradle to Cradle Gold Level assesses garments in areas such as human and environmental health, recyclability or biodegradability, energy and water requirements and social fairness.
The jeans were aunched alongside the world’s first ‘Guide on Developing Cradle to Cradle Certified denim’, with lessons learned by C&A, which was published along with the jeans’ product launch on Fashion for Good’s website.