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Meet the women revolutionising sustainable fashion
CategoriesSustainable News

Meet the women revolutionising sustainable fashion

By Zarkon Group,

1. Turning pineapple waste into natural textiles

Dr Carmen Hijosa, the Founder and Chief Creative & Innovation Officer of Ananas Anam was inspired to create a natural, sustainable leather alternative after witnessing first-hand the environmental impact of mass leather production and chemical tanning while working as a consultant for the leathergoods industry. Realising that PVC would not be a viable alternative, she embarked on a journey involving years of research and development, including a PhD at the Royal College of Art in London, where Ananas Anam was developed.

Her company creates natural textiles using the fibres from discarded pineapple leaves. The phenomenal growth in popularity of pineapples means that 25 million tonnes of waste a year is created from the plant’s leaves. For the full story, watch the film above.

Photo source: Aciae  

2. Turning ocean plastic into clothing

In Australia, fashion brand Aciae works to the Circle to Zero principle, striving to eliminate waste from every step of its production processes and contributing to the overall reduction of global plastic pollution.

The company’s name is Latin for thread and refers to its practice of turning single-use plastic waste into the thread that’s used to create its machine-washable, waterproof, recyclable shoes. Gathered plastics are cleaned, shredded, and then melted down for extrusion. The extruded fibres are then spun into thread, completing the transformation of trash into fabric.  

Founder Tina Li says: “The brand embodies the spirit of women shaping the sustainable development narrative, ensuring we all play a part in the story.”

Aciae.com.au

Photo source: Recovo

3. A marketplace that connects fashion brands to deadstock

‘Deadstock’ is a term that refers to the surplus fabric that is generated by fashion houses and normally destined for landfill or the incinerator.

Circular startup Recovo, led by CEO and co-founder Monica Rodriguez, matches buyers of deadstock fabric with those who have it to sell via an easy-to-use online platform. The company has created a curated catalogue of unused natural and synthetic fabrics, yarns, and other production materials, and does all the heavy lifting for sellers. Buyers can browse this catalogue and request samples at the touch of a button.  

Since the company was founded in 2021, it has grown rapidly and now operates in 16 countries in the European Union. To date, it has saved the equivalent of 98,000 kilogrammes of CO2 and 22 million litres of water.

Recovo.co

Photo source: © PDPics from pixabay via Canva.com

4. Turning discarded clothes into new materials

Re-Fresh Global, a Berlin based startup co founded in 2021 by Viktoria Kanar and Revital Nadiv, is turning discarded clothing into new raw materials. These materials can be used to create products like cosmetics, cars, packaging, pharmaceuticals, fibres, and furniture. 

First, the company uses its automated technology to sort and separate textile waste, depending on its material composition and colour. Then, Re-fresh’s patented biotechnology transforms shredded textile fibres into industrial quantities of new and highly versatile resources.  

This process creates three new, raw material types: nanocellulose, ethanol, and sanitised textile pulp. The nanocellulose is strong and highly versatile, meaning it can be used in items including packaging, paper, and pharmaceuticals. The pure bioethanol (alcohol) has various useful applications across the beauty, sanitation, and biofuel industries. And finally, the textile pulp, made from recycled natural and synthetic fibres, can be used in the production of new fibres, whether that be for car upholstery or sound-absorbing workplace interiors.

Re-fresh.global

Written By: Angela Everitt

Reference

Kith Women Flagship in Soho combines walnut and pink marble
CategoriesInterior Design

Kith Women Flagship in Soho combines walnut and pink marble

By Zarkon Group,

American fashion brand Kith has returned to the location of its first Manhattan flagship to open a women-dedicated store, in which olive trees grow up through display podiums.

The inaugural Kith Women Flagship in Soho opened last December at 644 Broadway, the same historic landmark building where the brand debuted its Manhattan retail offering in 2011.

Custom-built walnut podiums with olive trees growing through the centreCustom-built walnut podiums with olive trees growing through the centre
Custom-built podiums run through the middle of the Kith Women flagship store in Soho

Previously the Manhattan Savings Institute Bank, the red sandstone and brick structure’s exterior features wrought iron gates at the entrance and set the tone for the materials palette inside.

Kith founder and creative director Ronnie Fieg designed the interiors to include signature elements of the brand’s retail concepts, but with adjustments to acknowledge its context.

Kith Women store with apparel and accessories displayed in walnut and brass-trimmed nichesKith Women store with apparel and accessories displayed in walnut and brass-trimmed niches
The main room displays apparel and accessories in walnut and brass-trimmed niches

“The ambiance exudes modern elegance with its warm and calming aura, constructed with materials like Venetian plaster, travertine, and rosa aurora [marble],” said the Kith team.

The spacious main room benefits from tall ceilings and an open floor plan, and presents Kith Women in-house and multi-brand ready-to-wear apparel against Venetian plaster and Kith monogrammed suede wallpaper.

Footwear room with shoes presented on travertine shelvesFootwear room with shoes presented on travertine shelves
In a room dedicated to footwear, shoes are presented on travertine shelves

Clothing is displayed on rails installed in walnut and brass-trimmed niches around the perimeter, with accessories like hats and bags placed on shelves above.

A row of square walnut podiums runs through the middle of the room, each with an olive tree growing up through the centre of its pink marble surface.

A cafe and flower shop featuring mosaic floors and a fluted marble service counterA cafe and flower shop featuring mosaic floors and a fluted marble service counter
A cafe and flower shop is run in partnership with PlantShed, and features mosaic floors and a fluted marble service counter

Custom-built by Brooklyn-based woodworker Mark Jupiter, these units contain drawers for product storage, and alternating ones are topped with glass vitrines for showcasing jewellery and other small accessories.

Oak flooring is laid in a grid pattern transversed by walnut strips, and the darker wood also lines the fitting rooms.

Footwear has a dedicated room, in which shoes are displayed on shelves with integrated lighting that run from one end to the other.

“Entering the footwear space, you will find a grand arched plaster ceiling, travertine shelves, and a custom chandelier from Italy by Viabizzuno,” the team said.

Cafe in a courtyard behind historic wrought iron gatesCafe in a courtyard behind historic wrought iron gates
The cafe leads out to a courtyard behind the historic building’s wrought iron gates

In the final room is a cafe run in partnership with New York-based flower and plant shop PlantShed, which serves light bites and drinks and offers custom floral arrangements.

The space features a mosaic tiled floor, walnut wall panelling, a service counter with a fluted pink marble front and floral displays on stepped stone plinths.

The cafe leads out to a courtyard area behind the building’s impressive iron gates, which furnished with cafe tables and chairs in between topiary plants shaped into spirals.

Exterior view of red sandstone building at 644 BroadwayExterior view of red sandstone building at 644 Broadway
Kith Women is located at 644 Broadway, the same building where the brand opened its original flagship retail space in 2011

Feig also designed Kith’s recently opened Williamsburg store, located in the 25 Kent Plaza office building where the brand also has its corporate offices.

The company had previously worked with design studio Snarkitecture on its retail spaces around the world, including outposts in Miami, Los Angeles and Paris.

The photography is courtesy of Kith.

Reference

Sustainable water wear for women
CategoriesSustainable News

Sustainable water wear for women

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Neoprene – used widely in waterwear – was invented in 1930 out of petroleum-based chemicals. However, an alternative made without petroleum products was actually developed in the 1960s. This uses calcium carbonate from limestone and has become common in most high-end wetsuits as a sustainable and high-performance option. However, limestone neoprene is often lined with nylon – a fabric also derived from petroleum.

Now, Dutch ‘water fashion’ brand Wallien is taking sustainability one step further by replacing all virgin petroleum-based materials in its wetsuits. The company’s suits originally all used a Lycra that consisted largely of recycled materials derived from pre- and post-industrial waste, such as discarded fishing nets and carpets. 

However, Wallien’s newest wetsuit range, the Horizonia range, is made from Yulex, a natural latex rubber that is ‘tapped’ (like maple syrup) from the rubber tree Hevea Brasiliensis. Because the rubber trees Yulex is derived from absorb CO2, the wetsuits made using this material are actually more sustainable than those made from limestone neoprene. The trees are all grown on sustainably managed plantations certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). 

The company goes even further, packaging all its wetsuits in recyclable cardboard and bio-plastic bags made from corn. Wallien also aims to limit transport pollution by working with manufacturers close to its distribution warehouse in Amsterdam. And all of this commitment to sustainability pays off. The company has annual revenues of around $5 million (around €4.7 million) and an impressive following of professional surfers.

There is no shortage of innovations replacing petroleum-derived products with more sustainable alternatives. Some recent ones spotted by Springwise include sustainable packaging options and a polystyrene foam replacement made from agri-waste.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

MVRDV revives old tower as shenzhen women & children’s center
CategoriesArchitecture

MVRDV revives old tower as shenzhen women & children’s center

By Zarkon Group,

 

project info:

 

name: Shenzhen Women & Children’s Center 

location: Shenzhen, China 

architecture: MVRDV | @mvrdv

founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs

partner: Wenchian Shi

director MVRDV Asia: Steven SmitPeter Chang

project leader (Rotterdam): Lorenzo Mattozzi
project leader (Shanghai): Luca Xuconcept design: Lorenzo Mattozzi, Marco Gazzola,
Giuseppe Mazzaglia, Daehee Suk, Chi Zhang, Siyi Pan, Bertrand Tan, Albert Parfonov,
Andrius Ribikauskas, Enrica Perrot, Martina Franco, Peter Chang, Luca Xu
schematic design: Lorenzo Mattozzi, Giuseppe Mazzaglia, Daehee Suk, Fredy Fortich,
Chi Zhang, Bertrand Tan, Jiameng Li, Agnieszka Dabek, Paula Vargas Torres, Elisa Paneni,
Peter Chang, Luca Xu, Yang Hong, Leo Zhang, Cai Huang
detail design: Lorenzo Mattozzi, Giuseppe Mazzaglia, Daehee Suk, Fredy Fortich,
Chi Zhang, Bertrand Tan, Jiameng Li, Paula Vargas Torres, Luca Xu, Yang Hong, Echo Zhai, Ruochen Zhang
interior & Landscape design: Lorenzo Mattozzi, Fokke Moerel, Pim Bangert, Giovanni Nardi, Daehee Suk, Jiameng Li, Bertrand Tan, Paula Vargas Torres, Luca Xu
working documents revision: Lorenzo Mattozzi, Luca Xu, Giuseppe Mazzaglia,
Daehee Suk, Jiameng Li, Fredy Fortich, Yihong Chen, Peilu Chen, Xiaoliang Yu
aesthetic supervision: Lorenzo Mattozz, iLuca Xu, Giuseppe Mazzaglia,
Bertrand Tan, Jiameng Li, Americo Iannazzone, Yihong Chen, Kefei Yan, Edvan Ardianto Muliana
MVRDV NEXT: Boudewijn Thomas, Yayun Liu, Changqinq Ye
visuals: Antonio Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Pavlos Ventouris, Francesco Vitale,
Luana La Martina, Jaroslaw Jeda, Emanuele Fortunati
lead project coordinator: Jammy Zhu

co-architect, lanscape, MEP: SZAD

co-project coordinator: Shenzhen Women & Children’s Building Operation and Management
facade consultant: KGE (King Glass Engineering)
structural engineering: Yuanlizhu Engineering Consultants
lighting consultant: BPI (Brandston Partnership Inc.)
cost calculation: Jinxia Property Cost Consultation Co. Ltd.
interior architect: Jiang & Associates

photographer: Xia Zhi | @xiazhi_photogtapher



Reference

Helping entreprenurial African women access financial services
CategoriesSustainable News

Helping entreprenurial African women access financial services

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In Nigeria, it is estimated that women’s earned income is 65 per cent of men’s, due to fewer work hours and the fact that women dominate the lower-paid, informal job sector. This means they have fewer opportunities for networking and fundraising than men. Now, an app called Herconomy, is helping to bridge that gap.

Herconomy began as an Instagram page, created by entrepreneur Ife Durosinmi-Etti, who showcased local and international opportunities like grants and fellowships available to entrepreneurs in Africa. The site soon became a hub for thousands of female entrepreneurs looking for information.

The page eventually became a Telegram group, but scaling was an issue, as the team behind it found it difficult to coordinate the large number of conversations on the site. So, the team has now launched a subscription app (which also has a free tier). The app gives members access to a community and opportunity board, grants, weekly capacity-building workshops, and discounts from over 60 brands.

In June this year, Herconomy announced that it was receiving backing from Google for Startups, as one of the recipients of Google’s Black Founders Fund, which will help the femtech startup accelerate its mission.

This is not the first bank Springwise has spotted targeting an underserved market. Other financial innovations in the archive include a banking platform for workers in Africa’s informal sector and nano-credit for low-income entrepreneurs.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference