American insulation-game-giants Patagonia have today launched their new "Truth to Materials" collection, a capsule featuring five pieces that use rad new manufacturing techniques. The capsule is designed to re-imagine the first stage of a piece of clothing's life; the source of raw materials, and the processes they go through.
Each piece in the capsule is made from reclaimed or alternatively sourced fabrics, and are all processed as little as possible. The aim of the capsule is to honour the purest possible form of a material, whether that's by ensuring every last scrap of material is used, or by using minimal destructive techniques. It’s pretty cool for a brand to work to discover the origin of a material and stay as true to that as possible during every step of design and manufacture.
This collection is a further dip into territory that Patagonia has been exploring recently—with materials like organic cotton and recycled polyester—but with less dyeing and processing, fewer virgin resources and an even bigger focus on craftsmanship. Essentially Patagonia are looking for ways to bring their heritage together with the heritage of the people who've worked with these materials in traditional ways.
The reclaimed wool used in the collection is from an Italian company called Calamai, who have been working with reclaimed wool since being founded in 1878, around 100 years before the environmental movement was born, which makes them OG's in the ethical game. The reclaimed cotton is from China and Malaysia, and comes from a company called TAL Group, who since 2011 have been saving their scrap cotton from the factory floor—keeping hundreds of tonnes from ending up in a landfill. The undyed cashmere comes from Mongolian plateau region, care of Mongolian nomads who harvest the cashmere from their goats and sheep as they shift grazing grounds naturally according to the seasons.
Take a look at more of the collection below, and head over to the Patagonia webstore now to pick up some of the collection.
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