Reformation launches denim collection that uses post-consumer fabric scraps

Los Angeles-based fashion brand, Reformation, is introducing “Circular Denim” as part of its newest effort to clean up its denim act, and it’s the first time it’s using manufacturing waste to accomplish so. The jeans are also made to be recycled, and eligible for fiber-to-fiber recycling.

Kathleen Talbot, Reformation’s chief sustainability officer and vice president of operations, said that in 2017, they debuted Ref jeans for the first time. They’ve had the category for a few years now, but they started with the premise that it’s the most common and also the dirtiest item in their closet. They realized they had to do something about it. The circular denim collaboration is all about strengthening those bonds and demonstrating that there is a better way.

The collection, which includes high-rise straight-leg jeans, pleated trousers, jean shorts, overalls, and a denim dress, will be available beginning April 4 in select stores and online, with prices ranging from $78 to $198.

Denim roughly makes up about 10% of Reformation’s product mix. The company expects that its Circular Denim series will lead the way for other product lines to improve.

The corporation is already working with a number of partners to accomplish its “climate positive” aim by 2025. FibreTrace (for tracing cotton lines from fiber to product) and SuperCircle (as a demonstration of tech-enabled recycling at scale) are two examples. Reformation has partnered with Strom, a fully vertical factory, and Bossa, a zero-waste mill, for its denim innovation.

Talbot said of the brand’s partners that they’re willing to try something new and go the additional mile. The jeans are comprised of recycled waste cotton (20%) and FibreTrace cotton (80%). According to the brand, all of the styles in this collection are 100 percent recyclable.

According to Reformation, about 12% of fibers are abandoned on the factory floor, while Circular Denim has a 27% lower carbon footprint and an 89% lower water use than normal jeans thanks to a zero-waste production process with its partners.

Talbot explained that it wasn’t a one-time collection. Since they launched FibreTrace a year ago, this is also a design ethic we apply to our jeans. [Circular Denim] is also the first collection to adhere to the Ellen MacArthur Jeans Redesign initiative in its entirety, including enhanced sourcing and material credentials.