Owned by the H&M Group, fashion brand Monki is gearing up to launch a new capsule collection entirely composed of upcycled denim pieces, aptly named Up:cycle.
The brand, which is said to “mix Scandinavian cool with creative street style,” is no stranger to sustainable denim. Monki has been sourcing organic cotton for their denim pieces since 2016.
Each item in Up:cycle will feature a retro-inspired denim patchwork design that has been created using Monki’s own deadstock material. In this case, they will be using their own leftover organic cotton denim garments.
The collection will consist of three items: an oversized belted jacket, a tote bag, and a pair of baggy Yoko jeans.
To make this capsule collection a reality, Monki divided the production process into four phases. First, the Monki team sifted through their leftover organic cotton denim fabric and handpicked the best pieces. From there, the new patterns were cut out of these garments. The third phase involved the pieces of fabric being sewn together to create each item. Finally, each piece was washed in an environmentally-friendly way that minimized water usage and did not use any additional dyes.
In addition to the eco-friendly nature of the upcycled fabric, other sustainable elements of the collection included recycled thread, recycled zippers, and eco-friendly hardware. Both the recycled thread and zipper tape used was Global Recycled Standard certified and made of 100% recycled premium polyester.
Meanwhile, the sustainable metal zippers were made out of raw natural brass and Monki promises never to alter the colour of the brass, which allows them to use 91% less electricity and 73% less water compared to conventional metal zippers. Further, any hardware, such as buttons or rivets, were also made out of eco-friendly raw materials.
Monki’s global sustainability manager Jenny Fargerlin has made clear that the Up:cycle capsule collection is just one step in the brand’s journey to becoming fully circular. The company has committed to making its supply chain climate positive by 2040 and to use only recycled or sustainably sourced materials by 2030. In the shorter term, Monki plans to have all fabrics contain at least a portion of post-consumer waste by 2021.
Monki’s three-piece Up:cycle capsule collection will be available online and in select stores at the end of September.
All images in this article are courtesy of Monki.
