Former professional volleyball player Nilufer Bracco has just launched a vegan silk and cruelty-free loungewear brand.
Called niLuu, the brand has sustainability at its core and is the culmination of founder Bracco’s own journey to living a more sustainable lifestyle.
Each piece is made out of vegan silk, an innovative new fabric that is soft and luxurious as traditional silk but does not use a single silkworm. (Typically, over 1,000 silkworms are boiled to produce the yarn needed for just one single pillowcase, not to mention the egg yolks or bone marrow that often make their way into industrial fabric softeners.)
Thus, how niLuu’s vegan silk differs is that no animal products of any kind are used in the production process. Instead, this fabric is 100% cupro, a fibre created out of discarded cotton seeds, a byproduct of cotton production. Further, cupro fabric is biodegradable, and even if it ends up in a landfill, it will still break down naturally, shedding half of its original weight within roughly eight weeks.
Other products, such as their pillowcases, also contain ECOVERO viscose, a biodegradable fibre that has been certified with the EU Ecolabel. This label ensures that factories adhere to strict environmental standards relating to all aspects of the supply chain, from raw material extraction to production and distribution.
Plus, the manufacturing of ECOVERO viscose produces 50% less emissions and water usage compared to traditional viscose fabric. Both cupro and viscose are long and thin, just like traditional silk, which is what gives each of niLuu’s products that signature soft texture.
The last fabric they use is for their sleep masks. niLuu uses polyester as a sleep mask filler, however, this polyester is also sustainably sourced, this time from recycled plastic bottles.
If you’re wondering where the materials used in niLuu’s vegan silk come from, you don’t have to look far. In the spirit of transparency, this information is easily accessible on their website. All of their textiles are sourced from Turkey, more specifically from a supplier called Ipeker that was the first textile company in the EU to obtain an EU Vegan Certification.
Ipeker also runs its own Blue Balance Sustainability Programme, a program that upholds the following sustainable and ethical principles: maintaining a low carbon and water footprint, paying workers fair wages, and utilizing vegan and cruelty-free textile processes.
Proving that luxury and sustainability go hand in hand, niLuu’s current collection features everything from kimonos and sleep masks to face masks and pillowcases. Both men’s and women’s styles are available and come in enticing hues like midnight blue and blush, as well as bold floral and leopard prints. Currently, accessories range from $60 to $100 USD, while robes retail between $500 and $1,000 USD.
Overall, niLuu has brought yet another vegan fabric to market, allowing consumers to enjoy all the benefits of silk without the negative environmental or ethical consequences.
All images in this article are courtesy of niLuu.
