For those who read our newsletter earlier this week we announced a brand new vest top called Cirrus. Available in black and with a drop-arm design this has got us so excited I’m literally smiling as I type this. Ok, you might well ask what’s all the excitement about – it’s a black top at the end of the day?!
As many of you perhaps know we’re trying to source the most sustainable ways of creating sportswear. One of the big problems with clothing is the amount of environmental damage that occurs when fabric is produced, it’s massive!
Cirrus combines an extremely low environmental impact fibre (Lyocell) with a fibre made from reclaimed plastic (Rpet – READ MORE). Up until now I have never seen this specification of fabric being made available in fashion in the UK nonetheless sportswear, probably because it’s very expensive to produce. I have seen Lululemon use Lyocell in some their expensive tops but not combined with recycled plastic.
For geeks like me I feel I need to share with you a little more about Lyocell. As well as sustainability we’re all about quality, as such we go to the leading organisations that we know will provide the best, for Lyocell we went for Tencel™.
Tencel™ Lyocell fibres have gained a commendable reputation for their environmentally responsible closed loop production process, which transforms wood pulp into cellulosic fibres with high resource efficiency and low environmental impact. The solvents used to turn the wood pulp into fibre are made using petrochemicals. However the closed loop production process, means that the solvent is recycled time and time again to produce new fibres and minimise harmful waste. This solvent-spinning process also has the benefit of recycling process water too and this all means a recovery rate of more than 99%, therefore consumers can have the assurance that their fashion choices are not contributing to an adverse impact on the environment.
Although it is mixed with conventional dyes, which can be harmful to the environment, lyocell requires a lot less dye than say cotton. Lenzing AG (who own the brand Tencel™) was presented with a European Award for the Environment from the European Union for developing this process, called REFIBRA™ technology.
From a performance aspect Cirrus has the best of both worlds when it comes to wearer comfort. It provides softness and cooling from the Lyocell combined with the moisture transporting qualities of Rpet, and it’s all wrapped up in a very environmentally sensitive package. Plus, due to the way our business is structured and the fact that we do not run off big profit margins we can present this to you at an incredible price. We really want you to try this out, it’s that good!
