SUSTAINABLE BD
Burberry funds university to
develop sustainable materials
A fund of £ 3 million has been
granted by the Burberry
Foundation to Royal College of Art
(RCA) to start Burberry Material
Futures Research Group, jointly
established by the two to invent
more sustainable materials, reduce
waste, advance manufacturing and
transform consumer experience.
It will be the first explicit ‘STEAM’
research centre at a traditional art
and design university.
The grant also includes £ 750,000
to expand the existing Burberry
Design Scholarship at the RCA,
to help more students from the
UK and the EU to reach their
full potential regardless of their
financial circumstances.
The Burberry Material Futures
Research Group will deliver the
Denim North America (DNA), a
division of DNA Textile Group,
has launched its next generation
‘Sustainable R3 Denim’ collection
called EcoSure BioBlast Denim.
The product is being developed
in DNA’s close collaboration with
US-based sustainable polyester
producer Poole Co.
academic vision for materials
science research outlined in the
RCA’s strategic plan 2016-2021. It
will act as a virtual centre until it
moves to a permanent home in the
RCA’s new building in Battersea,
designed by Herzog & de Meuron,
scheduled to open in 2020. “The
Group will cover a broad scope
of work, from researching and
developing more innovative
sustainable materials to designing
new manufacturing methods, as
well as nurturing and supporting
even more British-trained design
talent,” commented Christopher
Bailey, Chief Creative and Chief
Executive Officer of the company.
YOOX NET-A-PORTER bans sale of
angora
YOOX NET-A-PORTER, a luxury
fashion group, has committed to
end the sale of angora across all its
platforms followed by its adoption of
‘fur-free’ policy.
“Regardless of whether fur or
angora was obtained by gassing,
electrocuting, bludgeoning or by
ripping from a terrified, conscious
animal, it’s always a product of
extreme cruelty – which most
stylish women and designers have
turned their backs on as demand
for sustainable vegan fashion
has soared. By introducing a ban
on angora in line with its ban
on fur, YOOX NET-A-PORTER is
securing its place as the premier
luxury fashion destination – now
Denim North
America launches
‘Sustainable R3
Denim'
and into the future,” says Mimi
Bekhechi, Director of International
Programmes, PETA. PETA
Exposés, an American animal
rights organization, had earlier
revealed that even within angora
farms deemed “humane” by third-
party auditors, rabbits are tied
down and their fur are ripped off
that leaves behind wounds on
animals screaming in pain. Since
PETA’s revelation on Chinese angora
industry, the source of 90% of the
world’s angora, designers including
Stella McCartney, Calvin Klein,
Roland Mouret and Alexa Chung as
well as stores including Topshop,
H&M and Zara have confirmed bans.
The revelation has led to drop in
Chinese angora exports by 85%.
According to DNA, EcoSure
BioBlast is a biodegradable fibre
made from 100% post-consumer
recycled water bottles. Before
using these fibres in the latest R3
Denim collection, they have been
shown to biodegrade in landfill
conditions 12 times faster over
a year compared to traditional
polyester. Furthermore, the
unique engineered polymer
creates fibres that are soft,
durable, strong and provide the
performance characteristics
that consumers have come to
expect from their clothing.
Adding on, DNA reports that
the growing popularity of
performance textiles within the
market directly contrasts with
the sustainable movement. With
more than 81% of textiles making
their way into landfills each year,
this rise in the use of synthetic
fibres means that this textile
waste will take much longer to
decompose, with some estimates
from 20 to 200 years. EcoSure
BioBlast Denim solves this issue
to a great extent, claims DNA.
Lisa Harris, Creative Director,
DNA, commented, “As wearable
function and sustainability
are both becoming mainstays
in jeanswear, our mission was
to combine these elements by
bringing natural and performance
fibres together into a sustainable
fabric. DNA will be previewing
EcoSure BioBlast Denim at BPD
Expo in NYC on June 21-22.”
www.apparelresources.com | AUGUST 2017 | Apparel Online Bangladesh
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