Kontoor Brands-owned Wrangler is the latest denim giant to give Infinna, Infinited Fiber Company’s regenerated and recyclable fiber, the green light.
Wrangler launched Monday a two-piece collection that combines the innovative fiber with its own industry-leading innovations including Indigood, a foam-dye technology that lowers wastewater by over 99 percent, and an e-flow finishing process that uses “nano bubbles” to distribute chemical products more efficiently during the fabric’s finishing process.
The fabrics used in the collection are made with 30 percent Infinna fiber and 70 percent cotton.
Infinna allows clothing manufacturers to bypass conventional cotton production, which is known for its extensive water and pesticide consumption. It is a virgin-quality regenerated textile fiber with the soft and natural look and feel of the cotton traditionally used in denim. It is created from cotton-rich textile waste that is broken down at the molecular level and reborn as new fibers. Since it is made of cellulose–a building block of all plants–Infinna is biodegradable and contains no pollutive microplastics. Clothes made with it can be recycled again in the same process together with other textile waste.
The fiber landed on Kontoor’s radar in 2015 when Infinna’s commercial viability was first being evaluated. Wrangler’s innovation team worked with the Infinited Fiber Company to provide a better understanding of the industry’s technical requirements and performed preliminary tests and trials on fabrics made with the fiber.
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The collection is said to represent “Wrangler’s next steps in circularity, water reduction and reduced environmental impact” and amplifies the denim label’s commitment to a more circular and collaborative supply chain.
“We believe our work with Infinited Fiber Company and the introduction of Infinna once again raises the bar in terms of environmental performance of our denim products without compromising the comfort and quality consumers expect from Wrangler,” said Dhruv Agarwal, Kontoor Brands senior director of innovation, sustainability, and product development. “The introduction of Infinna is an additional fiber complement to cotton and an important step forward in the commercialization and adoption of circularity in the apparel supply chain.”
The Fall 2021 Infinited Blue collection includes the men’s Western jacket and men’s Western jeans. Both are signature pieces from Wrangler’s Icons range, which applies modern modifications to styles from Wrangler’s 70-plus year history. The collection is available now in Europe only and retails for 100-130 euros, or approximately $116-$152.
H&M Group’s Weekday brand debuted the first jeans made with Infinna earlier this year with a collection of just 64 pairs of women’s jeans.
More products made with Infinna are likely on their way to market. Patagonia recently inked a multiyear sales agreement to secure access to Infinna. In July, Infinited Fiber Company announced it secured investments of 30 million euros ($35.53 million) in a financing round that added Adidas and Invest FWD A/S, Bestseller’s investment arm for sustainable fashion, to its roster of existing investors, including H&M Group.
“We are grateful to the Wrangler innovation team for their long-term support, for being one of the early adaptors of Infinna and for turning our innovation into a beautiful denim that will unlock a new level of circularity in the textile industry,” said Petri Alava, Infinited Fiber Company CEO and co-founder.