H&M's Weekday links with IFC and Maisie Williams on ultra-recyclable textile

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 27, 2019

H&M Group said this week that its youth-focused Weekday retail brand has become the first fashion label globally to create a garment with a new ultra-sustainable fabric from Infinited Fiber Company (IFC), a textile start-up that the group has invested in.

To "raise awareness about the importance of transitioning toward a circular fashion industry, [it has] teamed up with actress Maisie Williams to design a two-piece outfit made entirely from IFC fabric”. And it said it’s “looking  forward to being part of developing and scaling this technology in the coming years”.

H&M said IFC is a unique operation because its tech “can turn textile, cardboard and agricultural waste to new cotton-like material. The ground-breaking process makes it possible to recycle garments again and again without compromising on the quality, thereby creating a true circular fashion economy”.

That would certainly be a big step forward when used at scale as the ability to create fabrics of a good enough quality from a variety of recycled materials is the holy grail of the industry as it heads towards a sustainability-driven future.

Williams said “the IFC fabric looks and feels just like any other denim and for Weekday to create the first custom piece of its kind for me leaves me flattered”.

Weekday’s sustainability and materials head Ulrika Jakobsson added: “Infinited Fiber Company has a really interesting new recycling technique that has potential to help Weekday in our goal towards 100% recycled or sustainably sourced materials. For us, this material is extra interesting because of its cotton-like appearance and durability.”

The project began as a test within the Circular & Renewable Innovation Lab at H&M Group, which carries out proof-of-concepts on innovations in early stages of development. This led on to the group’s investment arm CO:LAB investing in IFC. 

H&M said that there’s “a strong market for a fibre with good sustainability performance at an attractive cost level, and by investing in the start-up, IFC can accelerate the development and scaling of a new innovative fibre that will contribute to reducing the textile industry’s environmental footprint”.

It added that the firm’s overall innovative approach aligns with its own sustainability goals and vision “to become fully circular”.