Sustainability
Textile waste is one of the fastest growing problems for the fashion industry. With the advent of “fast fashion” the amount of discarded textiles sent to the landfills has grown drastically from years past. With such a looming issue facing the entire industry, designers and brands are quickly moving to a whole new frame of mind when it comes to designing sustainably.
Eileen Fisher is a great example of a leading-edge brand who is stepping up to the plate to help bring a tangible solution to the textile waste crisis. Eileen Fisher started the “Renew” program to allow unused or worn out garments to be purchased back from the customer and then repurposed into entirely new items. Using the FeltLOOM they are turning used shirts, dresses, and sweaters into pillows, rugs, wall hangings, and so much more! Eileen Fisher is setting the bar for how a large brand can move into a more sustainable way of designing.
All these repurposed items are from the Eileen Fisher Renew program and are made entirely from recycled garments using the FeltLOOM. We are proud to be featured in her Waste No More video and we are thrilled to be a part of her efforts to achieve zero waste to keep our landfills free from garment waste.
HOW CAN THE FELTLOOM BE USED TO REPURPOSE?
The FeltLOOM is capable of processing a wide variety of recycled textiles and fibers. The FeltLOOM can be used to repurpose garments made of wool blends, linen, hemp, polyester or raw recycled fibers. Multiple types of materials can be felted together to create new and interesting hybrid textiles. You can create small single-product runs or large bolts of yardage to be used in full production. Using scraps from the cutting room floor is another great way to add sustainable design into your business. Nearly every design brand has a major issue with a surplus of scrap pieces of material left over from production. Use the FeltLOOM to create new pieces of textile from the scraps that were previously headed for a landfill.