adidas by stella mccartney liquifies old cotton to create biodegradable tennis dress

stella mccartney has unveiled two prototype products for her adidas collection that recycles old clothing into new garments. in an attempt to address waste in the fashion industry, the pair have teamed up with innovative sustainable company evrnu to create a biodegradable dress and the world’s first fully recyclable hoodie.

images courtesy of adidas / stella mccartney

the ‘infinite hoodie,’ is made using 60 per cent nucycl fibre, a material created from the threads of old garments. the process breaks down the cotton to its original polymer, which is extracted to become liquid pulp before being processed using a 3D-printer-like machine to create a new yarn.

the hoodie incorporates a jacquard knit comprised of recycled yarn and organic cotton diverted from landfills, which makes up the other 40 per cent of the garment. when combined, this creates a stronger and more durable compound than the original fabric.

the second product adidas by stella mccartney has debuted is a prototype ‘biofabric tennis dress,’ created in partnership with bolt threads. the company specialises in bioengineered sustainable materials and fibres, and has developed the tennis dress using a cellulose blended yarn and microsilk, a protein-based material that is made with renewable ingredients, like water, sugar, and yeast.

the concept behind the garments is to offer answers and alternatives to harmful production lines the fashion industry is guilty of. the ‘infinite hoodie’ is that it is made to be remade, creating a completely circular loop, and the ‘biofabric tennis dress’ has the ability to fully biodegrade at the end of its life.

‘fashion is one of the most harmful industries to the environment,’ said stella mccartney in a statement. ‘we can’t wait any longer to search for answers and alternatives. by creating a truly open approach to solving the problem of textile waste, we can help empower the industry at large to bring more sustainable practices into reality. with adidas by stella mccartney we’re creating high performance products that also safeguard the future of the planet.’

currently, a limited edition run of 50 infinite hoodies have been made, and gifted to adidas VIPs and influencers. while not currently available to everyone, founder and CEO of evrnu, stacy flynn, says that it hopes to ‘get out of prototyping’ in 2019.

product info

company: adidas / stella mccartney / evrnu