Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Ep 33. Part 3 I Clean Run: Detoxing the Running Jacket I Care, Repair and Recycle with Charlotte Krist, Shay Sethi and Wajahat Hussain
219 Plays11 days ago
We’re used to thinking about sustainability at the point of purchase: what fibres a garment is made from, whether it’s certified or recycled. But the truth is, what we do with a garment after we buy it – how we wash it, whether we repair it, and what happens when it’s finally worn out – is just as important as what it’s made of.
In this final episode of Clean Run, host Mili Tharakan takes our now‑familiar running jacket into the rest of its life. We’ve already rebuilt its fibres and detoxed its chemistry. Now we follow it into washing machines, repair studios and recycling plants to see what it really takes for a jacket to have not just one life, but many.
Guests:
- Charlotte Krist, Strategic Business Development, United Repair Centre: building industrial‑scale, brand‑integrated repair services that extend the physical and emotional life of garments, and make “repair is the new cool” a real consumer option, not just a slogan.
- Shay Sethi, CEO and Founder, Ambercycle: developing molecular recycling technologies that separate complex fibre blends at the base‑molecule level and regenerate polyester into new, high‑quality yarns – creating a genuine end‑of‑life pathway for garments that are currently landfilled or burned.
- Wajahat Hussain, CEO and Fuunder, BIORESTORE: turning a single laundry cycle into a way to resurface worn fabrics, remove pilling and restore colour and hand‑feel, so garments look and feel almost new.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- How BIORESTORE’s enzyme‑based treatment can “exfoliate” damaged fibres, remove pilling and revive colour and softness in a single wash, effectively resetting certain signs of wear.
- How high‑quality repair, delivered at scale by United Repair Centre, can extend both the physical life and the emotional value of garments, turning damage into part of a garment’s story rather than its end.
- How Ambercycle’s molecular regeneration process separates and depolymerises polyester from mixed‑fibre garments to create new, high‑quality feedstock that can replace virgin polyester.
- What a realistic circular journey for a running jacket could look like when better care, repair and recycling infrastructures work together – and why design and collection systems are just as critical as breakthrough technology.
Across all three episodes, Clean Run turns an ordinary running jacket into a closed looped narrative – from the moment its fibres are imagined to the moment they are reborn – and invites us to see that, with the right choices, every garment we wear can be part of a story that never really ends.
The Clean Run series is inspired by the Performance Without Toxicity exhibition, curated by The Mills Fabrica in partnership with Goldwin, open until 26th June 2026 at Fabrica X in London. Entry is free.
Clean Run is a three-part series. Part 1 explores fibres and fabric and Part 2 dives into the dyes, coatings, and construction of the running jacket.
Connect with me: LinkedIn I Insta I Buy me a coffee
Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash
Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to the Environmental Impact of Running Jackets
00:00:14
Speaker
This is an ordinary running jacket. You can buy one just like it almost in any sports shop today. It's lightweight, it stretches, it repels water. And when you're done with your run, you chuck it in for a wash and pick it up again for your next run.
'Clean Run' Series Introduction and Exploration
00:00:28
Speaker
Every time you wear a running jacket, you're wearing a product built almost entirely from fossil fuel-derived materials. The nylon that gives it structure, the polyester that lines the pocket, the elastane that makes it move with your body...
00:00:43
Speaker
Materials that work brilliantly on the trail, but it comes with a hidden cost most of us never see. It's in the chemistry used to make it, it's in what it releases when we wash it, and in what happens to it when it's worn out.
00:00:56
Speaker
This is Clear Run, a three-part series that takes an ordinary running jacket and asks a single question. What would it look like if we rebuilt it from scratch without the petrochemicals and toxins that are so commonly present?
Inspiration from Sustainable Innovation Exhibitions
00:01:10
Speaker
Across three episodes, we follow the running jacket from its fibre and fabrics all the way to the end of its life, meeting the innovators who are radically rethinking each layer, the materials, the chemistry, construction, care and recovery.
00:01:24
Speaker
Clean Run is inspired by the Performance Without Toxicity exhibition, exploring sustainable and circular innovations in performance wear. And in this series, we will dive deep to unpack some of the solutions that are showcased here.
00:01:36
Speaker
The exhibition is curated by Mills Fabrica in partnership with Goldman Innovations. It is open until 26 June 2026 in London. So if you're in the city, please, please, please don't miss it. You will absolutely love it.
Re-engineering Materials for Sustainability
00:01:49
Speaker
It is fantastic.
00:01:51
Speaker
I'm Millie Tharakin and this is No Ordinary Cloth where we stitch together a rich tapestry of innovations bubbling up at the intersection of textiles, emerging technology, craft and sustainability. Join me today for a glimpse into the future of performance wear.
00:02:07
Speaker
In part one of Clean Run, we started at the very beginning of our running jacket story, its fibers. We took a closer look at the nylon, polyester and elastane that dominate performance wear and met met the teams that re-engineer those materials using waste streams and renewable feedstocks instead of fossil fuels.
Innovations in Garment Care and Repair
00:02:25
Speaker
Together, we began to picture a jacket that delivers the same performance without the toxic materials baked into its ingredients. And then in part two, we went to layer deeper. We explored what happens when that fabric is made and how it's dyed, coated, treated, and even stitched and uncovered a whole world of harmful hidden chemistry that most of us are unaware of and is directly in contact with our skin.
00:02:48
Speaker
And then we learned about PFAS-free and bio-based finishes that made our garments toxic-free and with construction choices that enabled repairing and recycling possible.
Guest Introductions and Their Contributions
00:02:59
Speaker
And in today's episode, which is the final one of the series, we follow the same running jacket into the real world. We're going to track what happens to it once it leaves the shop, the way we wash and care for it, whether it gets repaired or replaced, and what truly happens when it reaches the end of its life. Does it become waste or can it be broken down and reborn as fibers for a new jacket?
00:03:22
Speaker
Once again, we have three brilliant guests joining us who are innovating at this stage of the jacket's life out there in the real world in the hands of the users. So today we have Wajahat Hussain, who's the founder and CEO of BioRestore, who's actually rethinking laundry care as a way to revive worn and tired garments. Then we have Charlotte Crist in charge of strategic business development at United Repair Centre. And they're building a repair service infrastructure into the fashion and performance apparel sector.
The Importance of Repairability in Design
00:03:52
Speaker
And Shea Sethi, CEO of AmberCycle, who is turning discarded textiles back to their building blocks and spinning them into new performance fibers.
00:04:02
Speaker
A very warm welcome to the No Ordinary Cloth podcast. I'm absolutely thrilled to have you all here. And there's a lot to unpack with you um as we explore the many lives this running jacket could have out in the world.
00:04:15
Speaker
and Before we dive into all those questions, let's do a quick round of introductions. Tell me a little bit about yourself, your company, and the one thing you wish consumers would check or do before they bought a typical running jacket in a high street shop. Let's start with you, Charlotte.
00:04:31
Speaker
Hi, thank you for the introduction. My name is Charlotte. United Repair Center is a repair center that operates at high scale and high quality repairs. And we offer this service to big brands, but actually we are more a social workplace. We create inclusive jobs for people with distance to the labor market and we use repair as a
Consumer Influence on Sustainability
00:04:50
Speaker
way to do this. What I wish people would look out for when they buy is to see the durability and the quality of ah clothing. I know it's ah it's tough out there to really investigate this, but the design for repairability actually makes you laugh and do much longer with the things you have.
00:05:09
Speaker
Absolutely. Thank you, Charlotte. Shea, tell us about yourself and your company. Yeah, hi Millie, thanks for having me here today. So my name's Shea, co-founder, CEO of AmberCycle. We are a development stage company, been around for a little over 10 years based in Los Angeles. And what we do is we take old garments that you might throw away and end up in landfills or incineration, and we take those garments and we break them down back to their base molecules. and reconstitute the fibers. So traditionally, textiles, it's very difficult to recycle them.
Innovations in Laundry Care with BioRestore
00:05:43
Speaker
but What we developed is brand new technology that makes textile-to-textile circularity truly possible. Nice. And is there anything you would like consumers to check or look out for before they buy a running jacket? Yeah, the one that we've noticed is the ah the intention behind a purchase to to not just buy something to buy it, but to buy something because it is something you like. And this means you will hold on to it and use it for much longer, extending its life and make it take a little bit more time before it comes to see us.
00:06:11
Speaker
Love that. Thank you. which i heard Tell us a bit about yourself, your company and a recommendation for our buyers. I come from the fashion industry. I've worked for different fashion brands like Gant and Levi's for a long time before I decided to step out.
00:06:30
Speaker
And I worked within sustainability and innovation. So from a very tech standpoint, my education's been in textile engineering. What really frustrated me during my time of working in the industry is the rate of change and the rate of adoption was just ridiculously like slow. And then you could say that I don't really believe in how the fashion industry works today. And I wanted to find a solution which was a bit more long lasting.
Addressing Synthetic Fiber Odor Issues
00:07:01
Speaker
And in that sense, you could say that, you know, i I just thought at that point when we when I started in 2016, thinking about BioRestore as um as a possibility, you know, 2016, you could not really recycle ah cotton garments at that point. You know, you degrade cotton. So my starting point was that none of the recycling routes are actually making a dent, you know, in the in the core business model of the fashion industry. And so we wanted to you know change the behavior that people have, you know, by giving them access to technology that helps them prolong the life of their garments. And we have a really good traction with the customers. So we know that people want to keep their garments for a longer time. They just do not know how.
00:07:47
Speaker
So we're going to dive deeper into how people can do that and more about your technology. If someone went out to buy a running jacket, what would your recommendation be to them? Firstly, you know, you should only buy what you need.
00:07:59
Speaker
Yeah. And then i think don't overkill. You don't need 30,000 millimeters of waterproofing if you're just going to run in the city. Because a lot a lot of the time, especially in outerwear, there's a lot of overkill.
00:08:12
Speaker
because you're you're putting all of these things that you don't actually ever need. It's like, you know, it's like buying a Ferrari and driving it on the road that only allows you to drive at 30 kilometers an hour. Got it. Okay.
BioRestore's Chemistry and Garment Integrity
00:08:25
Speaker
So coming back to our imaginary jacket, which we've been building... We've made this beautiful toxic-free jacket. Now let's imagine that this jacket was bought by someone like me at a shop on the high street and it goes out into the real world. So we're going to follow this jacket and find out what can be done to make sure that this jacket lives a long and happy life and maybe many lives. I've gone out for a run in this jacket on a muddy trail and chucked it in the wash for a quick cycle. And so this is where I'd like to bring you in, Wajahat.
00:08:54
Speaker
I guess most of us think of washing as caring for our clothes, but the way we wash can actually be one of the most destructive stages of a garment's life ah for the fabric, the color, the environment. You know, it's pretty what happens inside a washing machine is quite scary.
00:09:10
Speaker
From a BioRestore perspective, what is conventional home laundry doing to garments over a period of time? The thing with, if you talk about laundry care, a lot of the laundry chemistry today is actually pretty aggressive because, you know, like, like large companies like Procter and Gamble and Unilever, know, they have built these products that have to be all purpose and multipurpose. And so there's like a,
00:09:35
Speaker
a huge cocktail of, you know, so laundry is, I think, quite complex in that sense that they need to tackle any possibility, you know, from egg stains to wine stains or to sweat. And then let's say if we talk about sweat ah versus egg stains, there's a huge difference in the amount of effort that you need to tackle both of them. So because of this, what happens is, you know, you have these these detergents that work really, really well, but these companies are not really concerned with the quality of material and what happens to the garment, what happens to the clothes. You know, their job is that the stains, they should get removed.
00:10:13
Speaker
So they're not concerned with what happens with the with the product itself. And we are, on the other hand, concerned with the material, you know, with the garment and what happens to that. You so our focus is a bit different.
00:10:25
Speaker
So first of all, you know, we are not um a cleaning company. We don't produce detergents. We are producing speciality chemistry. And you could say, you know similar to, you could say skin treatments, but for textiles, that's how we, you know, pitch ourselves. We're not in the regular care. So we're we're building a new category that
Water Repellency vs Waterproofing Explained
00:10:46
Speaker
we call returgents, which is all about, you know, restoring.
00:10:50
Speaker
One of the complaints that people regularly have about things like running jackets and leggings and other sportswear is the it's the smell that stays in the in the fabric, right? ah You know, after a few washes, you you wear it and no matter how many times you wash it after that, you still have that kind of a weird chemical stench to it. um So why does that happen specifically to performance wear?
00:11:16
Speaker
So that is an attribute of synthetic fibers. So compared to natural fibers like cotton, the tendency for the bacteria to grow on synthetics is four times faster. And basically, you know, they don't absorb any water.
00:11:32
Speaker
And then they have a ah fiber structure. They're oleophobic. So they're trapped, kind of, they procreate this perfect um brewing ground for bacteria. Basically what happens is once the bacteria grows, it's very hard to remove, you know, and and then it
Green Chemistry in BioRestore Treatments
00:11:49
Speaker
grows back. So let's say you get a smell, you use a regular detergent, the smell comes back after two hours because the bacteria has regrown.
00:11:57
Speaker
And eventually to the point where it kind of colonizes the garment. ah and then yeah i like And then even with detergents, you know sometimes you you're not able to kind of remove them.
00:12:10
Speaker
We have this um barrier-based chemistry, which basically prevents the bacteria from growing on synthetics. and And it's basically without any silver, without any metal. So we've taken out that part. And and that has the the ability to prevent the bacteria from growing on the textiles and that leads to the garments not um needing a frequent wash like you know like today. This is your odor defense treatment that you're talking about. Okay. On your website, you were talking about the textile dermatology, which is quite interesting. You know, I guess it is kind of like skin and you have different solutions for different problems that the textiles could have. So one is order defense. Can you tell us about what to seal your other solution that can be used potentially for a running jacket like this and also explain the technology behind it and how that works?
00:13:04
Speaker
so So typically there are two things. First, I'd like to distinguish between waterproofing and water repellency.
Enhancing Garment Appearance and Lifespan
00:13:10
Speaker
We have to distinguish between these two characteristics. Waterproofing usually comes from solutions like Gore-Tex, where you actually have to put a physical membrane. So that's not what we do. We don't do waterproofing. But usually in outerwear, you have where you need both of these functions. What you usually do is you have a layer of Gore-Tex. And then on top of that, you have a water repellent. And those two work together in combination to make sure that the garments do not get wet.
00:13:40
Speaker
Gore-Tex, because it's physically bonded, it's a lot more stronger in that sense. So it doesn't really wear off that quickly. But the water repellent that you have on the top, ah which is basically bonded to the fabric, that wears out really quickly because of different reasons. One is exposure to rain and water. So there's like a physical mechanism that kind of removes it. And then the other one is because of laundry, you know, so so when you do use these detergents that I was talking about are very strong, you know, they over time, they kind of remove the the water repellency. And it comes to the point where the water repellency goes away completely. And so then let's say if you have a garment where you don't have any Gore-Tex and you're just ah depending on the water ah repellency
Emotional Value and Longevity of Clothing
00:14:27
Speaker
mechanism, then you kind of lose it quite quickly. And especially now when you don't have PFAS and carbon C8 sort of chemistries, they're even less durable. So so one of the positive aspects of, you know, those C8 and fluorocarbon chemistries was their durability, you know, which from a functional point of view was a great thing, but that durability was also a problem for the nature to break down, right? So we solved one problem, then now we have another one to solve, you know, ah but i I would also argue that for a running jacket in a light sort of an environment, in a city environment or
00:15:03
Speaker
like You don't need that sort of aggressive finishing, you know, of fluorocarbons. So what WaterSeal does is it's um it's a 50% bio-based solution. And basically you just apply it using washing machines. We've also done another thing with it. So typically when you have...
00:15:21
Speaker
These consumer level washing water repellents, they do not give you a guarantee, you know, so it's like ah a bit fluffy. When we started looking into it, you know, they weren't giving any guarantees. You wash it and then, you know, just pray to the God that it works. So it was kind of like that. And then with our product, we have two components. When you mix them together and you wash with a one hour cycle, you kind of get the same level of quality that you get in the in an industrial application. And we've tested up to like 35 home laundries.
00:15:53
Speaker
And it works really well. so So we've kind of built a product that is much higher in performance. What I know is that some really high-end brands have tested, for example, WaterSeal. And they've been blown away by the by the performance and you know how well it matches the industrial-grade performance.
00:16:11
Speaker
um I know you have a couple of other solutions as ah as well for whites and cottons and a textile conditioner. We won't get into the details of that. Can you generally kind of tell us what kind of damages can you ah reverse or reduce using your various solutions?
00:16:28
Speaker
What we've done is we've taken a look into you know the the problems that lead people to throw different garments away. And so Reister Cotton basically works on cotton garments and it takes away pilling and baubles that appear on the
Challenges in Promoting Garment Care
00:16:45
Speaker
cotton garment after like five, six months, depending upon whether if it's Supima cotton or sort of cheap cotton.
00:16:52
Speaker
What that meat does is it makes the garment look as good as new. So you you can't really differentiate between garment that's restored with that chemistry and something that's bought from the store. And that effect goes on for at least like 12 months, you know, so you don't need another wash. It also makes the colors pop because the reflection, the color reflection improves, you know. So so one of the attributes that we do is we kind of feel kind of replacing dyes ah at the consumer level because you don't re-dye the garment because you shave off the small fibers.
00:17:24
Speaker
you know, it kind of gives you the same effect that you have after exfoliating your skin, you know. Yeah. so it just pops and then we have a alternative to bleach which is the super white and you know the the paleness that you get in your white clothes is generally from body oils and so basically our product works really really well on you know taking out those oils and making the garments ah look whiter again the the positive aspect is that you don't get any scent that you get from the bleach The fabric does not get damaged. So you could even restore fibers such as linen using our chemistry.
00:18:02
Speaker
ah So it's pretty safe. And then if you have garments where you have like a colored part and a white part with the bleach, the the colored part is going to you know disappear. as well ah but then we with our product you know you kind of get over that challenge as well and then when when it comes to the conditioner it's a very high quality softener ah which you kind of use once once in a while so compared to a consumer level detergent which actually doesn't do anything on the softness and it's more for smell. This actually conditions the fabric where the drape becomes very soft and silky. It also, what we've seen in the lab is it reduces the wear and tear of the garment. So it kind of has a protection mechanism. And then, you know, the the other aspect is you use it once and then you don't need to use a softener for, let's say, 10 times or 10 washes.
00:18:53
Speaker
you So you replace the frequency of the amount of softener that you have to use every time. Brilliant. I was actually at Uniqlo last month in London and I saw Buyer's Restore stacked up on the shelf, which was really exciting. ah So tell us a bit more about your partnership with Uniqlo and other you know other retailers that you've piloted with. What have you learned about how willing people are to change their laundry routine and think about textiles or think about their garments more like they would think about their own skin? And what helps them actually try something new rather than just go on with their regular detergent?
Consumer Attitudes Towards Sustainable Fashion
00:19:28
Speaker
Since we run our direct-to-consumer store through Shopify, we are very actively engaged with you know influencers and consumers. you know So we get a very rapid response from people. What we see is that people recognize that these problems are not solved by regular detergents. you know So theyre they are well understood by people, but they've not had a solution.
00:19:52
Speaker
but For us, the biggest barrier is that we sound too good to be true. So people don't find it easy to trust us. So that's for us, the biggest issue is building that trust with the consumer. The willingness is there. The willingness to pay is also there. They want to keep their garments for a longer time. See, the thing is today, you know, I remember that, you know, a few years ago maybe 10 years a decade ago used to kind of when we used to look at fashion consumers we used to kind of put them in these hard categories that this is a fast fashion buyer this is a high street buyer you know and this guy only buys luxury that is not the case today you know today you have a wardrobe which is mixed You know, you're going to find everything from Sheen to Burberry in a closet. You're going to find all of them. So the the wardrobe is very versatile today.
00:20:42
Speaker
Every consumer understands this and they want to kind of, they have the capacity to pay and they they want to do it. I noticed that today that on your website you have a try now, pay later option, which was interesting. It's a nice sort of experiment to try and see how to get people to to win that trust, as you said.
00:21:00
Speaker
Our imaginary jacket is actually now made of sort of new biomaterials, not the the sort of traditional conventional synthetic materials. Do you think your solutions can work on these new fabrics as well in the future?
00:21:14
Speaker
So ah other than reese or cotton, all of our chemistries are material agnostic. Do you see a future where care products like yours are integrated into brand warranties or service models rather than something, you know, like a nice extra to have?
00:21:31
Speaker
Does that become just tied into the product itself in the future? I see ourselves as you know being on a very different path from the fashion industry because the fashion industry is, in my opinion, is not moving forward towards sustainability. It's actually going backwards.
00:21:50
Speaker
A lot of them has have retracted a lot of these kind of inov innovation um initiatives. So you know care product is not something that they want to sell. And it's not more than like a PR stunt for most of them.
00:22:04
Speaker
I think theoretically, you know, we kind of obviously try to build the argument that you should sell the whole ecosystem ah to the customer and, you know, including longevity, etc. But from an execution point of view, inside a fashion brand, you know they're struggling with their core business today.
00:22:25
Speaker
Care products is not something that I see selling them. I think it would be a revolution if they did something like that.
United Repair Centre's Process and Impact
00:22:33
Speaker
ah But i don't I don't really see that happening. We've had some success, but, you know, the rest of them has just not been great in the sense of, you know, um these kinds of projects are more or less like vanity projects and they get killed very easily. I mean, I think many startups kind of understand that pain of brands really not being able to adopt these solutions at the current time. But the hope is that we can change the system. So we have a clean running jacket that smells great. The color remains vibrant and it stays waterproof.
00:23:05
Speaker
repellent all thanks to various solutions that we've just heard from BioRestore. And by restoring our jacket, we're really hoping to lengthen the life of that product as Wajah had just explained to us. So thank you so much for that. Common reason of a lot of people get rid of their running jackets or their leggings and sportswear is because of the of the smell that it has. So it's a really interesting solution and an innovation where there hasn't been too many solutions provided in that space. Another common reason to get rid of clothing, or in and in this case, a running jacket, might be when it starts to sort of wear off along the seams and the threads unravel or the zipper might break or the jacket gets torn when you're walking or running past a spiky plant, which has happened to me before. So let's bring you in, Charlotte, to understand how we can extend the life of this jacket.
00:23:58
Speaker
ah So repairing clothes has been very much part of our culture and society since the beginning of time, really, right? I mean, there are several crafts that have taken repair to an art form. Even, for example, in Japan, you have the Soshiko visible mending method. In India, you have the Kantha technique. Even if you were not a highly skilled crafts person, pretty much everyone knew how to repair basic clothing um until maybe about 50 years ago when we just stopped repairing clothes. So before we go into your work, can you shed some light on why we stopped repairing and that the impact that this has had?
00:24:32
Speaker
i think we stopped repairing mostly because clothes just got way too cheap. So overproduction and overconsumption and also industrialization and for labor poor labor requirements made it possible to produce clothes in a way too cheap way. And therefore, people sort of forgot the actual value that garments can hold.
00:24:53
Speaker
And we are stuck sort of in a commodity trap where brands are competing mostly on price and quality keeps decreasing. And for, i feel, a generation, it has been a complete loss art to repair. And people only think about yeah buy and toss or just replace.
00:25:09
Speaker
We are trying to bring repair back as the new cool and really show that it's not only better for the environment, but it's also very nice for the relationship you can actually have with the piece when it's a really good piece.
00:25:23
Speaker
Absolutely. So you do describe repair as the new cool and you've built a whole operation around that and a whole system around this. So if our imaginary running jacket arrived at your center with a broken zip and a torn sleeve, maybe for example, can you walk us through what happens from the moment it arrives? The intake, maybe how you diagnose it, how you repair it, all the way through when you pack it and send it back to the user.
00:25:50
Speaker
Yes, of course. So ah you are running in the forest in your new sustainable running jacket and then you run into a tree and it gets ripped. This happens often. We also do some bike clothes. So sometimes we get some bloody falls coming in. Wow. But you just see that people are actively using these clothes and nothing is as bad as your favorite item ripping.
Revival of Repair Culture and Brand Challenges
00:26:10
Speaker
So you put it as a consumer, you put it in a box and you send it to the brand, but it actually through the brand goes to us and we unpack it here. We will do an assessment of the jacket. So we'll see it's either seam, zippers, doesn't matter. We do all sorts of repairs. And we ah then put, after this assessment, put it into the production line. So because we work on high quality, high scale repairs, we operate as much as possible as production line. But of course, this is where the real challenge is because
00:26:40
Speaker
all clothes get produced in the same way, but they all break in a unique way because every user has a really unique way to actually use them. So what you see is that repair requires very different skills than production does. Because if you start repairing a jacket or a zipper or a hole, there's new forces on the fabric and new dynamics that you have to take into account. So we have a team of really skilled tailors that also can come in through our repair academy. So they said kids can be people with a newcomer background or distance to the labor market. They learn the repair skills in our academy and then they can become part of the operation. The process works in a way where we first do the assessment, then we do work preparation, then it goes to the actual floor, then we have a quality control because we work with brands. We have quality standards for all different types of repairs and brands. So we can always execute a repair in a quality that is up to speed for the brand and that they want to sign off on. And then after this process, it gets sent back to the customer. So me as the runner just gets a repaired jacket bag. And what's really fun to see about this is that we really notice the emotional relationship people have with their clothes. So often...
00:27:57
Speaker
By in incident coincidence, I was standing at the operation site today and you get letters from people saying, I'm so grateful you want to repair my running jacket because it's my favorite. And I'm so sad it broke. So we call it the wall of fame and we have it hanging in the office. And but also we get chocolates and cookies and people are so grateful it. that their clothes can actually be repaired because it is something that that people sort of forgot and lost touch with. But it's such an amazing thing if you love a garment very dearly and somebody can repair it a very high quality and then you can just use it again.
00:28:32
Speaker
Absolutely. Oh, that's wonderful. I have heard about this famous wall. I want to come visit your workshop just to see that wall, actually. No, you should. It's really fun. Are performance wear more tricky to repair than, ah say, a pair of jeans or a shirt? And why is that?
00:28:51
Speaker
Well, yes and no. I feel that the quality of garments really makes also makes up for the repairability. So high quality garments are easier to repair than very low quality garments. But then, of course, performance wear, waterproof, waterproof zippers are all things that are really challenging.
00:29:09
Speaker
Not only... Technically, but also then it adds this like unique repair aspect where every repair is different. So this is something that we really, where we really unburden brands because with the new ERP rules coming up, brands sort of have to start repairing. But setting up a repair operation is very complex and it requires a lot of skills that are not currently available at brands. So what we do is that we yeah unburden them by offering any type of repair of high quality so that the brand feels confident to sign off on the quality to their customer, but that we can make sure that it's always up to speed.
00:29:47
Speaker
I mean, I love that you have an academy where you're training people up. And it just actually almost surprises me that at university, when we teach people how to make garment, we teach them fashion and and sewing and constructing. i don't know how much time is actually spent on teaching people how to repair.
00:30:05
Speaker
And like you said, it's a whole other set of skills that you need need. And maybe this could be interesting for universities to start picking up and integrating it into their um curriculum so that we do have more people around who have the skills to repair.
00:30:19
Speaker
So our imaginary jacket is made from smart thread from Resortec, which it sort of dissolves with heat. i don't know if you're familiar with Resortec's work. You know, one of the reasons they wanted to look at that was to make repairability easier because you're able to separate the garments and the different parts of the garments easier. Do you think these kind of new technologies are able to help you speed up the repair process? Have you engaged with anything like this?
00:30:47
Speaker
I think you touched on two very interesting points because for one, the educational skills for repair, what you see also with the new regulations coming up, that there's going to be a whole... infrastructure of repair hubs, repair skills. And currently that infrastructure is not there yet, but ah we work together also with universities and sort of seeing if we are going to trends make this transition to a circular economy, but also to a more circular fashion industry. What are the jobs diets that are going to appear? How can we make sure that the skills are there for these new jobs that are appearing? And how can we make sure that these become
00:31:26
Speaker
inclusive jobs that are also high quality jobs that make people happy, that have the right like type of ah labor, pay, all those kinds of things. Just to be honest jobs for people and make it part of an inclusive society. So it's something that...
00:31:41
Speaker
For one, the skills required in this new economy, but then also the machinery technologies. If you look at what we do here, you notice that we get we sort of get data on how the products are used. And after the transaction, the brand never really is in contact with the customer anymore because... only when there is a complaint, but never on how it's actually used. And we see the items that are like cherished and loved and and used to the fullest. And this is really interesting ah data and also to give back to brands to design for repairability, because in essence, this is what
00:32:20
Speaker
in our opinion, the future will look like. How can we design for repairability, higher the quality of what we are doing and make sure we leave this commodity trap where we are only competing on price and quality is going down. So what's interesting is that repair will be the place where the whole industry sort of has to meet each other in terms of innovation, knowledge, skills. So it's a really, really exciting project.
00:32:45
Speaker
Nice. Yeah, it's a great, great space to be in at. Definitely. yeah i mean, you're not a one off local tailor, right? You're building sort of industrial scale repair capacity for brands like Patagonia and the North Face and others.
Obstacles to Achieving Fashion Circularity
00:32:58
Speaker
What has been the hardest part of scaling repair?
00:33:01
Speaker
get the economies of scale working? Because we also want to make sure that when repairing is affordable, you know, that it makes sense to repair, that it doesn't cost a fortune to repair. So how have you tried to balance that and work through these challenges?
00:33:15
Speaker
Yeah, well, we were We work with many challenges. And one is, um so what we do is we operate high quality repairs on a large scale for big brands, like the ones you just mentioned. And one of the challenges is, of course, how can you operate a nonlinear process in as much as possible in a production line? So I always say operationally, we have a lot of knowledge about manufacturing, a non-linear production line, but also about repair guidelines, standards. We also really help brands and facilitate with them what they actually need to know about repairs and what the quality standards are and what they can decide from. So there's the aspect of the operations, there's the aspect of the academy and of the tailors that we have. But then there's also parts that's technology. So we also have our own tech system
00:34:05
Speaker
is three different aspects. One is operational tech system to run this non-linear production line. Second aspect is a customer-facing technology for brands where they can send emails and engagement to their customers. So for example, it will be about my running jackets that is at United Repair Center. I will get an email, Maria is now working on your jackets. Did you know that? And gives us the whole story.
00:34:31
Speaker
um And then the third aspect is what I also touched upon earlier is the is the repair data and like the feedback loop that we have around these garments. And so this technology then again also supports the operation.
00:34:46
Speaker
And then of course we have the commercial part where we really help brands to prepare for what's coming up in regulations and what they should think about and how they should communicate this repair system to their customers. um Yeah, you talked about a design for longevity and how the information that you have can be fed back to the designers. Is that happening in real life? Are you feeding back that information? And is that changing the way they design? Can you see that kind of come through in a full circle?
00:35:15
Speaker
Well, the scale we would wish it upon, not yet, but yes, it is. we are We are going there and getting there. But we really, like our vision really is to do this at a really large scale. And as it actually, with this running jacket we are talking about now, would be designed in a way that it's easy to repair a zipper or something that is like bound to break. But also, as was said earlier, the fact that it's designed in a way where you can just recode it in a sustainable way to make it waterproof again, instead of it having to be these really aggressive chemicals. Those are all things that yeah we we really see a vision for for the future.
00:35:54
Speaker
Nice. I mean, I'm sure it's not easy convincing brands to sort of set up this. it's ah It's another extra thing that they need to now think about, right? And put in place a system where customers can return and then they the system for it to come to you and to go back to the customer. When it comes to circularity, it's always brands going to try it at a small scale, but they never really scale it up across um all their collections, you know, all the whole organization.
Repair Data Informing Design Longevity
00:36:19
Speaker
What is your response been when you've approached brands with this idea of repairability being built into their system?
00:36:26
Speaker
Yeah, what we noticed is that our value proposition is based around that this is really challenging for brands. So we are like a full service provider to brands. So technically, they only have to tell us, I want to do repairs. And then we take them by the hand through the whole process. So this is the quality you can think about. This is the logistics. And we just do everything for them because we know it's very complex and complicated. So that's how we like integrated that in our value proposition. Then there is the other side. Of course, there brands that have sustainability more in their core and also in their ah customer base. So there feels for more natural for them and they see it more as a need than that it is ah for other brands that have way less clients. Well, yeah, conscious consumers or they just care about it less. It's harder to convince them. For us, the new regulations that are coming up are helpful. so But what I personally also find very interesting is what we notice, for example, with this wall of fame and the customer value that you add by doing repairs. We always say a happy repair customer is a customer for life. So we're looking at how can we quantify this to brands and actually show them that if they are not offering this, they are losing customer lifetime value, but also are just losing money in a way. Because 50% of the repairs we do gets paid by the customer and it's just a service the brand has.
00:37:47
Speaker
Wow. The brand is communicating the value of repair and that service being available to the customers. How are they doing that storytelling part of it? Because that becomes really important to get customers on board and make this quite a frictionless experience for customers as well, because it's another thing that they have to do, right? Like you said, there are ones who really want it repaired. You don't need to sell to them. They'll find you. But how do we kind of go beyond that cohort? that's really I think it's a really good point you touched upon. It also has to do with behavioral change and awareness. So this is also something that we are looking into, like how can we help brands to facilitate this and like communicate it in a way that it shows the customer what the value is.
Consumer Demand Driving Repair Initiatives
00:38:29
Speaker
Sometimes brands can be a little bit afraid to communicate about repair because in essence, it like in their head feels like it's linked to things being broken, but it's actually linked to a service and an extra value you add to your customer. And what we notice is that if brands tell their customer that the repair is available, you sort of hire the value a customer has for the garment. Because if if something breaks and I as a brand just say, oh no, just replace it, then as a customer, I feel it has less value. But if you say, no, I will go through all this trouble to repair it for you, the emotional value of the jacket in your head goes higher. And this is really yeah things that we are trying also to help brands with how they can communicate it.
00:39:11
Speaker
Vajahat, I can see you want to add something there? Yeah, the last few points that Charlotte said were something that we also experienced that when it comes to repair, for a lot of the brands, the way they look at it is that, you know, if they talk to their customers about repairing, it's kind of like admitting that, you know, their quality is not great from the beginning. And at some point, the garment is going to break and they don't want to have that conversation and they don't want to put that anywhere For us as well, that has been one of the things that we've seen with the brand.
00:39:45
Speaker
Yeah. And I mean, we also recommend our customers, I mean, our customers in the Netherlands and UK to actually try a United Repair Centre, you know, when they have a jacket that has an issue or something. We actually sent a few customers their way. So this customer had used our product.
00:40:01
Speaker
This was a 10 or 12 year old jacket, which was now out warranty. They washed it with our product. ah But then one of the seams, for some reason, you know, one of the pipings came off. And then, you know, we referred that customer to United Repair Center and sorted that out. Amazing. I mean, this is what we want to see more of, right? These kind of collaboration across all of you guys as well. But is cost a barrier for customers to get things repaired? um Because I mean, just from personal experience, am you know, one of my husband's jumper, Wool's jumper from Uniqlo, which is fairly old. I recently found that it had about eight or nine holes in it and I took it to get it repaired.
00:40:43
Speaker
And it was five pounds a hole and they would have come up to about 45, 50 pounds to repair it. And then all I had to do was just look around and there were just new jumpers there, which were 50 pounds or less. So you kind of have, you're very tempted to kind of think, oh, do I just pick up a new one or do I repair this? Can cost be a barrier for repair at this stage?
00:41:03
Speaker
Yes, of course, because this is also how the system works and how we are wired. I feel when people have more emotional connection to their garments, they are more special, they are older there or they are of higher quality, they will go through greater lengths to repair them. It works very well for us. The fact that we work with brands and we do it in a B2B proposition means that we have a certain skill, therefore we can offer it relatively ah cheaper than...
00:41:30
Speaker
if
Garment Life End and Recycling Technologies
00:41:31
Speaker
you would do it at a lower scale. But it's also as to, like what was touched upon before as well, the fact that we as consumers have to start demanding it from brands. Because why? This makes no sense. Why is it ah for preserving our planet and what we are all doing? Why is it cheaper to buy a new one? And the fact that, um yeah, I think the more consumers will see repair as cool or normal and the more they will start demanding it, the more brands will offer it and also will lower the price again.
00:42:01
Speaker
Yeah. And I think United Repair Centre has done an amazing job, an incredible job in bringing repair back to our sort of consciousness as this is an option, you know, which we never really consider. So a great job on that. Vijayad, do you want to jump in?
00:42:16
Speaker
Yeah, I just wanted to talk a bit about cost. In our case, because we kind of also look our process as a repair, ah the cost is a fraction of what you would you know pay for a new garment. So in our case, we've made sure that we price it in a way where the cost of restoration per garment is significantly cheaper than you know buying a new garment.
00:42:41
Speaker
but but now there's another added pressure on the pricing due to second hand because i think now when you talk about for example platforms like vented and selpy you know what you see is that you can get a lot of the products for at least 50 of the original price which makes kind of it's good in one way but it's it makes the the whole repair thing even more challenging because now you can just go and buy a second hand which is going to be even much more cheaper for you compared to buying a new garment. Yeah, but what I do feel about repair, and this is something that we really notice, is as as soon as, because the the emotional connection people feel with their garments and definitely, well, for example, this running jacket, that's,
00:43:28
Speaker
you don't want another one, you actually just want this one, that the one that you run the way race in and that you, ah I don't know, all the things and adventures you had in it. So this emotional durability of items really gets much increased by repair. So that's, I think that's something to make us hopeful for the sustainable mindset shift that we also need from a consumer perspective. Absolutely. Like you said, emotional durability. And we have a whole episode on just that being such a powerful lever to help people think about circularity and repair all those solutions. So wonderful. Thank you so much, Charlotte. it's It's really interesting that even when the solution can be really simple or straightforward, You know, you're not sort of recreating a whole, inventing a whole new technology. It's repairing, which should be straightforward. It can still be such a challenge to change consumer behavior and have that service adopted more widely. But that's hopefully where we want to educate and create better awareness for customers as well.
AmberCycle's Molecular Regeneration Process
00:44:32
Speaker
Coming back to our jacket, now I'm imagining that the jacket has ah has had a few cuts and bruises, which is fixed up by United Repair Centre. And this has added hopefully several more years to the jacket that I love so much.
00:44:45
Speaker
ah But there does come a point when a jacket really has lived a full life and it is time to retire it. And yes, we do hold on to some things for memory's sake and we tuck it away to the back of our wardrobe. But eventually we do have to get rid of it, and whatever the reasons may be.
00:45:02
Speaker
So Shay, this is where I'd like to bring you in and where your work starts, which is when a garment is considered waste. What are the main reasons that garments don't actually end up reaching recycling systems like yours? um And is it mostly about feedstock quality, collection infrastructure, sorting problems or something else?
00:45:25
Speaker
Yeah, that's a great question. So if we take a look at apparel, what it is today, so going back to the 12th century, a lot of people don't know that every garment was actually recycled. And the reason was most of the materials that we wore, actually all of them were cellulose. It was all cotton in the 100% content. And so all garments got turned into paper pulp. And that was actually one of the main sources of paper. It was a pure cellulose material. And so we were actually at a point where a significant amount of our garments were extending their life into another product. But what's what's changed since the 12th century? i guess I guess a lot of things. But one of the things that's changed is our the clothing on our body has gotten more complicated.
00:46:10
Speaker
There's different fibers that add functionality, different finishes that add style elements, different buttons and zippers. And the complexity has given us quite a bit of functionality, but this creates a complex multi-material product that is now much more difficult to deal with at its end of life. And so when we started looking at this problem,
00:46:32
Speaker
Why is it that less than 1% of garments are recycled when over 100 billion garments are made a year? And this a trend that is probably not going to stop. The core challenge is the intermingling of materials. So if you think about it,
00:46:48
Speaker
T-shirt in your closet, there's different fibers, primarily polyester and cotton. Last year in 2024, polyester made up about 59% of all apparel fibers. It's the number one fiber used in apparel. Cotton is number two and man-made cellulistic fibers are number three.
00:47:06
Speaker
And we started thinking about how do you how do you deal with this stuff at its end of life?
Economics of Recycling and Future Materials
00:47:10
Speaker
And most carbons can't get recycled because they're these complex mixtures of material. And so what AmpRecycle, what we do is we developed a process that separates the different fibers out at the molecular level such that we can recover and remake new yarns that go back into apparel. So that's kind of what the holy grail of circularity has kind of been been looking for.
00:47:30
Speaker
Amazing. So you talk about molecular regeneration as the process. Can you decode that a little bit for me and the listeners? Definitely. So so conventional recycling is a fairly rudimentary process.
00:47:44
Speaker
It starts by taking stuff and melting it down. So if you think about water bottles today, bottle recycling exists, you collect a bunch of bottles and you can melt them into new products. that that doesn't go all the way down to the molecular level. And so in order to separate the different fibers out, you have to go all the way back down to the base molecules. And so this has been something that we developed from scratch in 2015. How do you separate at the molecular level the polyester from the cotton, from the nylon and the cellulose? All those fibers have to get separated out. And if you think about yarns, they're very complicated.
00:48:21
Speaker
And so for us to make this work, you have to go back all the way down to the molecule. So we developed new chemistry to do that. And what this enables and what this means is that you can take a mixed garment that has all of the different fibers, dirt, orange juice stains, who knows what else,
00:48:41
Speaker
put it into a process, and then out the back end get these clean raw materials that are the exact same quality as traditional materials that you might get from sources ah today. So for us, this is this is really what the holy grail needs to look like. There has to be an end-of-life option once a garment is worn and repaired. At the end of life, it it will end up in an unusable state, and we have to figure out a way to provide a ah next step in its journey. And so this is what what we've been invested in and what we call molecular regeneration, going all the way back down to the base molecules so that we can rebuild materials without a loss in quality.
00:49:18
Speaker
Very cool. um So if we take the original running jacket that we had as reference from the high street, it had i think about 85% nylon and 50% elastane on the you know face fabric and then 95% polyester and 5% elastane on the back. but What are you able to get out of a mixed product like this at the end? What are you able to recover?
00:49:41
Speaker
Yeah, it's a great question and something we spend a lot of time working with. we we We're in the performance space quite a bit with partners like Arcteryx and Patagonia. And so what would happen to the jacket is it would it would come to us once it's at its true true you know end of life. It would get shredded in the first step, all the buttons and zippers would get separated from the loose loose fibers, loose fabrics. And then all of those fabrics would then go into stainless steel tanks where essentially at a low temperature, all of those different components of the fabric get turned into a liquid at different temperatures. And so we can then separate the polyester from the nylon from the spandex.
00:50:22
Speaker
It doesn't matter how the fabrics were made, so the base and the outer layer can be mixed together. And we're essentially able to fractionate all of the different components. We're starting with the synthetic side, so nylons and polyesters, which are really functional technical products and are are trying to develop a way to take a bunch of jackets that come in and do this, as as that that will then unlock a future life for them.
00:50:48
Speaker
And then there's, in specific which of the jacket, there's also ah state finishes, coatings, laminate adhesives that are also important to deal with. And so we're imagining a feature where all of those components can come into this process and you get fractionated and recovered to be reused again, not just the the the fabric fabric materials.
00:51:10
Speaker
Again, the imaginary jacket that we've been building is not made from conventional petroleum-based materials such as nylon and polyester, ah but have used natural materials such as wood waste, food waste,
Scaling AmberCycle's Operations
00:51:22
Speaker
etc. What would your technology produce if we recycled our imaginary jacket?
00:51:28
Speaker
We're trying to develop a process that could take anything and turn it back down into its original constituents. We're starting with the synthetics. So right now we're really focused on polyester and nylon as this is the number one material in the world's closet. Let's say, so when we started the journey, me and my roommate from university in 2015, we just looked into our closets and said, what is the number one material that we found? And that was mostly synthetic. And that is actually the core core challenge. Polyester right now has a very high carbon footprint. It comes from oil and we wanted to solve that that that carbon footprint problem. So we started there. But when we started the Amber Cycle, the whole the whole challenge is to take an old garment and turn into a new garment, agnostic of material. So our ambition, our intention is to be able to do this with the cellulose components as well in respect to wherever they came from.
00:52:17
Speaker
to be able to give them a second life as well. it's sort of like we want to fractionate and and recover everything from from whatever that little plastic bag of garments that we all, our rates throw away, needs to get dealt with.
00:52:30
Speaker
I'm curious about the waste that your process produces. Is there waste and what kind of waste is produced and how do you process or handle that? Our process does not actually produce that much waste. So traditionally, if you think about it, the processes are really dependent on the feedstock. And so our feedstock is textiles. So all of the outputs from our process are actually things that were in the feedstock that we can't use. So for example, if you take a t-shirt, we're separating out all the fibers. But for example, if there was, let's say, tomato sauce stains on the T-shirt, then all of that, just imagine those little pieces of tomato, they're going to come out as waste in the process. And so so it's it's really dependent on how clean the feedstock was. And for anyone who's dealt in the secondhand textile world, you'll know that this is not necessarily the most clean stuff. It's it's old clothing. And so ah you can imagine anything that was on the garment.
00:53:25
Speaker
that wasn't a fiber or a fabric ah comes out as as a stream. And this is important because we're clarifying and purifying this material to be reused again. And so those are the main waste streams. We're also seeing a lot of dyes. So essentially what happens is all of the fibers come in, we can get the fibers out, but we're left with this this this dye stuff. And ah just imagine taking all the colors in the world and combining it, you get this like brown. Dark brown material, exactly. And so we're still trying to figure out what to do with that material to try and figure out how to recycle dyes. But that's kind of an ongoing project. But that's also another question. And and yeah, and over time, hopefully can make this make this better so that we can recycle everything that comes in with the with the feedstock material. with The process itself is closed loop circular and also fairly efficient.
00:54:15
Speaker
Yours is a chemical recycling process um and because that tends to raise questions sometimes about sort of the energy use, the solvent and the overall impact. um So how do you kind of think about better in this context or what benchmarks or safeguards do you use when you say AmberCycle is ah part of a circular solution?
00:54:35
Speaker
Yeah, it's a great question. and's something we spend a lot of time with our brand partners on. So like, for example, with with some of our brands, when when they go out to make claims about the the material, so we have an ingredient brand called Sycora that brands use and co-brand in their garments. So for example, with a brand like Ghani, where they put the Sycora branding on the garment, we also have done extensive studies on the life cycle of our process. And what we found is our process is roughly half the energy that it takes compared to traditional, for example, in the polyester, for Sycora polyester. Sycora polyester compared to normal polyester, roughly half the energy. And so ah this is helpful for the brand to then start to map out the scope one, two, and three supply chain emissions but it's a really iterative exercise as anyone who's done lifecycle analyses know there's a lot of components. And so we we spend a lot of time with our brand partners working through, okay here's our fibers and yarns that we're creating. And then how does that translate into a garment level impact?
00:55:36
Speaker
ah So we're seeing it's significantly less. And for us, this is something that we're we're really interested in trying to figure out how best to articulate. And kind of the reason why I started the company with my roommate from college is because, we you know, when we buy a garment, how do we know it's actually good for the world around us? This is a big question that we're trying to figure out. So... That's kind of why we're trying to invest in education with our ingredient brand so people can have the same experience like we did. Like, oh my gosh, this material, how how can we communicate that in a way that makes sense? And on the back end, spending a lot of time very technical with our very sophisticated brand partners to figure out the specific impacts and how that gets communicated as well. It's very important.
00:56:16
Speaker
I mean, I think you've very, very successfully signed um off-take agreements and built partnership with major industry players such as Inditex, MAS Holdings, Hoesung and... BHF. Yeah, BHF is a more more recent one.
00:56:29
Speaker
You know, that's a dream for any startup. And it looks like you've got really great momentum going and you're producing at scale with them. Is that right? So we're getting there. So, yeah. So, so currently we have, we have some production volume right now. We have small plant in the U S we also have a plant in Taiwan and we're scaling up some production and we're, we're thinking through how does this guess really to, to world scale. So commercial scale, industrial scale, and starting to plan out what big capital investments could be to realize the demand that the brands have. I mean, for us, what's been really, really interesting is seeing the interest across let's say, the large large big box brands like Inditex, the performance brands,
Expanding Material Recycling Beyond Polyester
00:57:10
Speaker
Patagonia, Arcteryx, this is the world, and then also the you know aspiring luxury new brands like Ghani, for example, where brands of all shapes and sizes are interested in using circular materials. So we really think we need to scale and and develop the impact required and do it at at a pace that can really, really make a difference and make a dent. So thinking through that as well and trying to make it work for for everyone in the apparel industry is is important. and as you noted, just not just brands, but also the supply chain partners that are that are crucially important and actually making it all happen.
00:57:40
Speaker
Yeah, it sounds like yeah it's going really well, which is fantastic. Digital product passport is something that everyone's been talking about it, and we're not quite sure when all of that those sort of regulations will come in place and what's involved in it. But are you being able to add a mechanism to trace the new yarn that you're creating as well? Are you kind of tying it to some sort of a traceable ID that can be you know connected to a DPP in the future? Yeah.
00:58:09
Speaker
In 2019, we did our first test with Avery Dennison, where we did a small collection here in LA of garments that went out with the product identification, digital as well. I guess this is this is a little bit before DPP became as widespread as it is today.
00:58:26
Speaker
our Our perspective here is we want to really support the end-to-end traceability of the material. It is crucial not just for us, but for the end brand storytelling, which is really essential to get people ah to understand the impact. And so we work with a lot of tracers, not just physical, but also digital.
00:58:45
Speaker
We've had extensive experience with some technologies that are in the fiber itself, some technologies that chase that trace via digital infrastructure. And we try and work with any and every solution that is out there to ensure the brand has all the tools they need to ensure compliance as well as storytelling and development of the supply chain in the best way possible. So for us, it's it's crucially important and we feel we have a unique opportunity to do that. given that we're making the the raw material and can take it all the way through to ah to a garment in in a controlled supply chain. So that for us is is incredibly important. and then furthermore, as this defines regulatory efforts in the and the future and long term, how to think through the complex supply chain and simplify things to and make it clear that the impact is actually getting generated and delivered to to customers to to wear and enjoy.
00:59:40
Speaker
um So right now, Sikora is your main product, um and that's regenerated polyester.
Engaging Consumers in Sustainable Practices
00:59:46
Speaker
Is that something you're going to sort of spend a bit of time on and really get that to industrial scale before you start looking at other materials that you're also going to produce?
00:59:54
Speaker
A little bit of both. So one side, of so I have a technical background. on The technical side of me is like we should we should immediately do yeah our nylon product, our spandex product, our cellulose product, and that. I guess the the CEO hat has me saying, okay, we've got to focus and get things done in a step-by-step function. So I guess the the the short answer is we're going to do both.
01:00:14
Speaker
The polyester side is the main focus. It is the number one material in fashion. It is the the molecule that I see to have a significant impact in reducing carbon emissions. We need to figure out a solution for polyester. This is the main focus. And ah and my colleagues and I are also working on the other materials as we get this request all the time.
01:00:33
Speaker
As we're taking in garments, we have this other fiber that comes out of the process that we want to reutilize as soon as possible. And so we're working on that as well. We imagine in the next, and but if we roll the clock 10 years forward, we'll have industrial solutions, not just for the polyester, but also nylon, cellulose, and spandex.
01:00:53
Speaker
That is very, very exciting. Thank you, Shea. 10 years feels like a long time, but, you know, if we can scale solutions up in 10 years for all of these materials, I think that'll be pretty radical and can totally transform our system.
01:01:06
Speaker
Brilliant. So with your solution, our imaginary running jacket can be turned back into yarn and hopefully be born again as another running jacket or a pair of leggings. The hope is that it will live on and on and on. Thanks, Shea, for bringing that last piece of the puzzle together for us to get a full picture of the life of a running jacket and making it possible for the jacket to have many, many, many lives, which is fascinating. So now we're going to zoom back a little bit and have questions that all of you can kind of pitch into.
01:01:36
Speaker
think what's quite unique about this particular episode compared to the previous two is that all three of you have solutions out there in the market in some scale or the other. So I want to firstly congratulate you on that achievement. I know that's a long, hard journey to get even a product out into the hands of the end user. And you clearly have the traction and adoption from brands and and others. so it's something that's worth celebrating.
Policy and Regulations in Sustainable Fashion
01:02:01
Speaker
You face challenges kind of getting there from convincing brands and getting them to start adopting.
01:02:08
Speaker
proven your solutions, you've shown traction to really now scale it to the next level and go industrial. What are the challenges that you're facing and how are you trying to overcome those? So Charlotte, maybe we'll start with you. Yeah, I think...
01:02:23
Speaker
A big challenge is consumer awareness and changing this buy and toss mentality. ah Even if we offer repair services for brands, sometimes it takes a long time until they reach repair maturity where their customers are not only all aware of this program, but also actively using it and like looking for it. So I think the customer adoption in that way is a challenge. And with it becoming more general practice in the market also due to regulations this is something that we are positive about that it's changing and helping us a nice yep for us i think at the moment we're good in the in the sense of we've figured out a playbook that we can scale so for us it's more about you know just building the business stepwise and efficiently and activating marketing on other products ah but so far we
01:03:18
Speaker
We've done quite a lot of tests where we've seen, you know, good traction across the EU and the US, building the momentum, turn the business towards profitability as soon as we can. That's one of the the things where we have a different mindset that we want to be self-sufficient and don't really want to rely on the fashion industry at all.
01:03:38
Speaker
That's a major pivot we've had in the last one year that we actually we we are very we're not going to be dependent on them. We're going to be building our own way ah into the market. It's great to hear a startup that really feels like they've reached that place, you know. So congratulations on that. Shay, how about you? What are the the big challenges you're facing for scaling this up? I believe the challenges today are around the integration of this, for us, this type of tier four raw material into multi-tier cross-patch. We work with suppliers all around the world, quite literally, and coordination of a complex but not complicated supply chain is incredibly important. And so one of the challenges that these types of materials have faced in the past is integration into products.
01:04:33
Speaker
the supply chain to support the economics that the supply chain partners, the brand retailers, and our our raw material facilities need to achieve. So having a really good and smooth supply chain integration process is really important. And then the second thing i will say is also on education of end customers, which is for us an incredibly important aspect, how to communicate to people that when you walk into a store and pick up a garment, that you as a person can actually trust and believe that this garment is actually benefiting not just your your mindset that day, but also for clients.
01:05:14
Speaker
<unk>re the surrounding world around you, that it's making the world a better place. And if if that can be communicated, then education ultimately will be one of the main drivers for societal change for such a big industry that can change. It might seem like step-by-step changes, but slow progress in a couple of days turns into a lot of progress over decades. So the time scale is important, but yeah, that that I would say is the is the biggest question that I always think about how how best to push push that forward.
01:05:42
Speaker
From your vantage point, what kind of policy or regulations would actually help your solution scale? And are sort of the recent talks that we've had in Europe and other places about EPR and the other regulations, PFAS free, waste and recycling, all of these regulations are sort of in the pipeline about to kind of all be um out there and and brands have to follow very soon. Is that helping drive traction to your business as well? Charlotte?
01:06:09
Speaker
Yes, it's making people aware, but in essence, it's also not going fast enough in a way that is very complex and the execution of how it will be implemented in all different countries is quite complicated and therefore also will add a lot of pressure to brands. So ah yes, it's a good starting point, but we need much more force and clarity on how it's going to be in order to really make the impact that's necessary.
01:06:36
Speaker
shade Yeah, i I mean, the regulatory question is really interesting. There's a lot of a lot of tailwinds that it supports. The only question is kind of if and how it gets deployed and the specific tools that will be available to industry folks to monitor and and utilize them. And this is this is always the challenge with regulatory environments, I guess. In in America, we've had our fair share experiences deploying regulatory environments and in solar, etc.,
01:07:00
Speaker
next generation materials. So there's a lot of precedent, which is helpful. And in and in Europe, we do see significant interest from from regulators to to make it happen. But making it happen is a very broad statement for what what what ended up needs to be very specific tools that that the industry can then use to push forward. But overall, it seems like everyone everyone is aligned that there needs to be some sort of municipal and and sovereign involvement and in the problem. Just, I guess, question here is sizing. like what what ah What actually is that?
01:07:30
Speaker
which i I think the the best part of the of the regulatory environment is that it it creates a level playing field for the brands to operate. I think that would be the biggest advantage because if you look from the eyes of brand, you know, and financially, sometimes Working towards sustainability also means that it's going to affect your bottom line, you know, because you might need to invest some extra money and time and effort into something that does not have a direct impact on the ah ROI in the short term. So, for example, let's say, you know, if you take the example of Sheen, which is by far the fastest growing company compared to H&M and Zara, but gets a lot of criticism around, you know, not having a transparent supply chain, et cetera, cetera. The regulatory environment creates a level playing field, you know, for the brands to operate, which means that then, you know, all of them have to do something and it's, there's no choice element
Focus on Sustainable Business Models
01:08:30
Speaker
of choice. Obviously the the specifics are still not clear in terms of how this, what this would mean execution wise. But I, I see the biggest advantage being that, you know, it creates a level playing field for everyone. Very quickly, if you could ask the outdoor and sportswear industry for one concrete, maybe even measurable outcome that would help your solution become mainstream, what would you ask for, Charlotte? I think I'd ask for more communication around repair. Yeah.
01:09:03
Speaker
communication, transparency, pushing it more because I really am confident that it's for brands. It only adds value and customer lifetime value to them. And it's, we need more awareness.
01:09:15
Speaker
Shay? I think the main thing is is speed. I mean, specifically with the performance space, there's rightfully so a lot more of work that has to go into the product. The product is extremely technical, extremely specific, but but but that technicality should not slow down product deployment. We understand the timelines are rightfully so longer, but...
01:09:32
Speaker
But speed and and deployment is the main main thing for the performance industry. night I made a piece of insight. Thank you. Wajahed? I would say I think most of them, they have to relook at their business models. fashion For me, fashion industry has a business model problem, which is a sustainability problem. So I think almost every brand has to look at their business model and their relationship with the customers. I think that is what would drive the biggest change.
01:10:01
Speaker
Fashion industry is unique, you know, because... you don't have like You don't own two microwaves, right? You don't have one, but you have like 50 garments. you know So it's unique in that sense. So so it has a business model problem.
01:10:16
Speaker
But one quick thing quick way for them would be to actually what Charlotte said before. I think they have to think about the whole lifetime value and you know stop thinking about you know their relationship with the customer ends when you know something flies off the shelf.
01:10:33
Speaker
they have to think of the full circle.
Guest Motivations and Contributions
01:10:36
Speaker
Absolutely. And I think you've kind of answered my next question, which is what's the conversation the fashion and textile industry desperately needs to have, but it isn't. So you've answered that as well for me, Ujahat. Would you have anything else to add to that, Shay or Charlotte?
01:10:52
Speaker
What are we not talking about? Multifaceted, but there's a lot of opportunity across across the board for improvement. I agree. I think it was very complete and feel that there's a lot of willingness to do the right thing, but it's also a very complicated landscape to navigate. So seeing solutions that actually ah really add value and are fixing a problem, I think it's hopeful for everybody.
01:11:18
Speaker
All right. So now I'm going to ask you to take off your official work hats and just come to the table as Wajahad, Charlotte and Shay. And we'll get to know you a little bit very quickly. Tell us a bit about yourself, where you're from or where you grew up, starting with you, Charlotte. Thank you. My name is Charlotte. I grew up in the Netherlands and um my affinity with fashion started from an early age because my mom is a big sewer. So she actually always sewed all my clothes. She's also a self-named recycling freak. So every piece always got used. ah But this is what really ah yeah triggered my affinity for fashion, but more in a sustainable way.
01:12:00
Speaker
I currently also have a brand with my mother where we try to show people to consume less and create more because we believe people are ah creators instead of consumers. My career started in AI and ah so I've always been on the document processing AI track, but really missed this on purpose. So therefore I'm very happy that within United Repair Center, sort of touches up on all these points.
01:12:26
Speaker
And I really feel yeah excited for the future and hearing about all these new innovations that are happening. I think there's a lot of willingness. So makes me happy to look forward in that way.
01:12:38
Speaker
Shay, tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? So, Shay, I grew up in Northern California, stayed there, lived there, got exposed to a lot of different factors. Went to UC Davis, have a technical background, biochemistry, molecular biology, had a really deep fascination with how big things are built, also complicated and complex problems. And do not have a, let's say a fashion background, but started Amber Cycle with my room at your college. It's the the first and only job that I've had, I guess, prior to that worked in my mom's ice cream store, but, but, but definitely it's been an incredible journey. And it really feels like this is something that could really, could really,
01:13:18
Speaker
sink our teeth into. co-founder and I were yeah roommates in college. We found this problem and have really have really not been able to let go for
Personal Connections and Emotional Value of Garments
01:13:25
Speaker
for better or worse. And so I've really been fascinated with all the intricacies and complexities that are not just technology developed. So the technology is obviously one part of what we do, but it's only a part. And there's a lot of things that are required to get it to scale. And so seeing the intricacies of the problem have been really, really captivating. It's something that we've been really able to go you know all in on and ah No matter how much, how long it takes, try and get it done.
01:13:50
Speaker
And I've been able to build a really strong team, work with a lot of partners all around the world, investors, et cetera, to hopefully make this real, not just for for us, but but something that that the industry can then take a next step forward in. So um so yeah, yeah, could not even imagine it going as as well as it has and looking forward to to the future.
01:14:09
Speaker
the The job at the ice cream store sounds amazing too, by the way. that was It was like just as much hours for a lot. like like like it's surprising how It's surprising how ice cream stores are also quite a bit of work. I mean, ah yeah, yeah. but yeah that's ah yeah luckily Luckily, didn't gain in too much weight at the time too because that was also challenging. a a lot of I still love ice cream, but yeah, that was some good times. Brilliant. And Mujahid, where did you grow up and sort of how did that shape where you are today?
01:14:44
Speaker
I was born and raised in Pakistan ah and so and I moved to Sweden in 2015. So I was 28 when I moved to Sweden.
01:14:55
Speaker
So like my brother was very different in the sense my dad was in the army. So we used to move every two years, you know. um so my So I grew up actually around a lot of guns and weapons and stuff. um Yeah, so and so no link to the fashion industry. And I mean, for me, like textile was not exactly the first choice. I wanted to be a musician and a film producer. so So I actually got into the fashion industry just to fund my music production. So so the whole time I was in Pakistan, I had my like production studio. I would just pour every...
01:15:38
Speaker
a bit of money that I would earn into producing music and producing videos. Yeah. So, so that's how i basically, you know, ended up in the fashion industry and it's not, so and I wasn't really interested in pursuing fashion industry when I came to Sweden, I was actually considering working for a game studio, you know, for, to produce their music and stuff.
01:16:01
Speaker
And then for some reason I ended up working for fashion industry again. And on, on this track, You know it's not something that I've dreamt of as a child.
01:16:12
Speaker
I've loved entrepreneurship. That's been kind of also been in our family. But yeah, for me, like my whole path has been a bit like, you know, you you can't see, you can't connect the dots.
01:16:25
Speaker
Yeah. Into what I'm doing today. Well, i mean, it's seems really impressive that you have managed to set up this, you know, incredible company and you're growing and it's almost something that you stumbled upon and, you know, accidentally kind of fell into your lap. And I also noticed that you did your master's at Buros at the Swedish School of Textiles. It's always lovely to meet someone ah who knows where Buros is even. i i used to i did I worked as a researcher at the at the Institute there before you were there actually a long time ago. So we all we talked about emotional durability quite a bit earlier on um in our conversation. so I was curious if there was a piece of clothing or a piece of fabric that that you've held on to, something you've repaired or revived or... just refused to let go of and it holds very special memories for you and if you could tell me a little story around that uh charlotte well yeah definitely so actually
Sustainability and Circular Future Commitment
01:17:25
Speaker
most of my clothes are created by my mom and they are often also made from fabrics that came from my grandmother or other very old sources so i hold very strong emotional connection to my garments i feel that it's uh they get repaired endlessly and sometimes i'm a big jeans wearer. So I have jeans that have completely new jeans sewn into them and then they just keep breaking.
01:17:48
Speaker
And I feel it's ah it's the saddest thing in life when the garment really tells you that it does not want to live anymore. But I think it's ah beautiful representation of identity and I feel clothes in that way can also be a form of expression. So the ones that I choose are the ones that I hold very dear.
01:18:05
Speaker
Is there one garment you can tell us about? i know it'll be tough to pick but... Yeah, I would. There's one pair of jeans that like got repaired in like until it just kept every time you put it on it would rip and now I use it for painting. So I think that would be my high my top one. Love it. Shea, is there anything that you hold on to?
01:18:27
Speaker
I have a lot of our first garments that we made like 2018, 2019 that no one thinks are comfortable, but I love. And so those are, those are really special. And Ewa Jahed?
01:18:42
Speaker
Yeah, um I actually, I don't, I have a very functional way of looking at fashion. So I i don't usually have any attachment to my clothes at all. Yeah, but I've been, what what's different now is that we restore quite a lot and we buy secondhand and restore. And then I've got two sons who then exchange clothes, you know like we have like a trickle down from hand-me-down from my son to my younger son, but it goes to a restoration.
01:19:10
Speaker
pass on to you know the the second one and once we remember that we had this you know event we had like i think it was increase christmas or eid and we had forgotten to buy buy a shirt for my uh younger son and then we just took out an old shirt for from my eldest son and we restored and you know it looked as good good as new brilliant yeah but personally i i don't have any attachment to any of the garments So each of you're building a part of a future where a running jacket isn't just bought, used and thrown away, but has many lives. When that work feels really hard and slow, what keeps you going? And what kind of gives you the hope and evidence that this future is actually possible? Yeah.
01:20:00
Speaker
Charlotte? I believe for us, it's mostly the people we work with because it's also a big part of our company and just the joy and the togetherness of working with the tailors and seeing all these really incredible skills people have.
01:20:15
Speaker
is what will ah get you through the hard days. I feel people that choose a career path in sustainability are often quite passionate about it. So that also brings challenges because sometimes it's harder to let it go at the end of the day. um But for me, the driver is mostly working with the people. Lovely. Shea?
01:20:33
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, i mean the the days are definitely long, but the decades are short. i think from my perspective, the the enthusiasm of the team is really exciting and inspiring to see, and not just internally with our team, but also ecosystem partners, our partners, everyone expresses so much enthusiasm. And so something that just started as an idea has really turned into something much more, and that's that's also it's also great to see. So ah so yeah, it's it's been it's just great to see the excitement in others.
01:21:02
Speaker
Nice. Yeah. Bajahed, anything to add there? Yeah, I mean, for us, the biggest motivation is the the customer sentiment. um You know, we we get a lot of positive reviews, but I always kind of, for me, the number of reviews does not matter. It's actually, you know, what people say about, you know, the product and their feelings. And, you know imagine someone coming up with a garment, which is like, I think there was one guy who had garment saved for from when he was a kid and he rest restored that garment, you
01:21:35
Speaker
as an adult. And I think that garment was from 1994. So sometimes we get these incredible stories and the sentiment of the people is so strong um that, you know, that keeps us going.
Founder Burnout and Perseverance
01:21:50
Speaker
And i mean, we are...
01:21:52
Speaker
a consumer brand and so the consumers and their voice is really important for us you know no matter how good the solution is if the if the customer does not feel the same way you know then our business is a dead end you know so for us the customer sentiment is extremely important and motivating and There's the last one for today.
01:22:13
Speaker
Something that we hear a lot about, you know, and people talk more openly about these days is founder burnout. It's, you know, you're building a company, you're throwing 300% into it and it starts to really, i mean, it is your world, your life, um and it starts to impact your decision-making skills. It affects your leadership, your clarity, your vision for the business. You're burning out. um How do you look after your physical and mental health through this long journey that you're on Charlotte?
01:22:44
Speaker
I'm not a founder in this company, but I ah do have founder experience. But for me, it's always just to prioritize your health and your, I feel the more you automate in your life and in your health, the better you can perform in every aspect. so I do a lot of running and just to make sure that you always ah prioritize your health and create and find the people that that you can be honest with to laugh about the problems that you have however big they feel it's always good to have some form of relativization in what you are doing yeah I love that you can find people that you can laugh about the problem with um that's a great one Shay
01:23:24
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I guess i guess here that it's certainly a winding path, but, you know, the the beautiful thing about every day is that if a day isn't great, you can go to sleep and try again tomorrow. And so that's what it's all about. Just keep on going. and Just don't stop. and And if it doesn't work out one day, I mean, maybe it'll work out tomorrow. So just keep on trying.
01:23:43
Speaker
So it's a mindset thing for you there. Mujerith? Yeah, I think for me, like I follow like a pretty strict sort of routine in the sense of you know i try to start my day with um with a workout and you know I try to keep my sleep and workouts in check. um and ah I live near a forest, so I go for hikes very quite often. So for me, like you know that whole cycle of sleeping, eating right and you know working out is what keeps me away from burning out. Otherwise, my
01:24:17
Speaker
Routine is kind of crazy because like, you know, you're I've been doing like 12, 13 hours work days, including weekends for almost six, seven years now. And in between that, you stack in some holidays.
01:24:30
Speaker
I think i'm I'm kind of quite aware of my burnout. And, you know, so when I am on the edge, I have this moment where I could just, you know, just turn off my laptop, you know, and be able ability be able to kind of, you know, step away. Because at the end of the day,
01:24:46
Speaker
I do not want to be a slave to my own business. So if I can't turn it off, basically, then, you know, I'm ah i'm a slave to my own business. So making sure that that balance is kept in check. Thank you so much, Charlotte Shea and Wajahat. That was fascinating. Thank you for sharing your passion and your... wisdom with us today.
Multiple Lives of Running Jackets
01:25:07
Speaker
it is really inspiring to see people dedicating their lives to solving the challenges that we face every day. it could seem like something as small as a running jacket, but when you start unpacking it, there are so many layers to it and so many challenges to solve. And you're out there doing that and making a difference. You've shown us that the the life of a running jacket doesn't have to end when it becomes smelly or tears or goes out of style. that it can be revived in the wash, restored through repair and finally broken down and reborn as new fiber ready to be made into fabric for another new jacket possibly.
01:25:41
Speaker
i absolutely love it. And I believe that through this series, we've shown that circularity is possible.
Encouraging Curiosity in Fashion Lifecycle
01:25:47
Speaker
We indeed have the solutions out there. it is a complicated and complex system to turn around, to turn something that's been linear for decades now. to making it circular. So I really appreciate all your effort and work that you are doing this in the space. So thank you all so much. Thank you so much for having us. Thanks. Thank you a lot for having us. It was a really ah inspiring talk.
01:26:13
Speaker
Our imaginary running jacket has finally come full circle. We've re-engineered its fibers, detoxed its chemistry, and today we've followed it out into the real world, through the wash, across the repair table, and all the way into the recycling plant where it can be broken down and reborn as a ah fiber for the next jacket.
01:26:34
Speaker
To me, that's the most beautiful and powerful version of circularity. The same jacket living many, many lives. And here's the most important part. You don't have to wait for the perfect jacket made from next generation materials to exist in the shops.
01:26:50
Speaker
The one hanging by your door right now, whatever it's made from can still have a long life. You can wash it more gently, restore it when it starts to tire, repair it when it rips or a zip falls apart, and only let it go when it has truly done its miles.
01:27:07
Speaker
My hope is that after this series, you'll never look at a running jacket in quite the same light again. That you'll see not just a grey or navy shell, but a whole chain of decisions and possibilities. Which fibres were chosen? What chemistry sits against my skin? Who could help me keep it going for another season? And where might it go? And what could it become next?
01:27:31
Speaker
If enough of us start to ask these questions and if brands and policymakers match that curiosity with courage, then a circular toxic-free jacket stops being a thought experiment and starts becoming the norm.
Series Wrap-up and Call to Action
01:27:46
Speaker
This wraps up the Clean Run Detoxifying the Running Jacket series. I've had so much fun making this for you. Please check out part one and two of the series if you haven't already and let me know in the comments of what you thought about it as well as whether you'd like to see more of these series made in the future.
01:28:05
Speaker
Hit subscribe so you don't miss future episodes.
Clean Run Exhibition Details
01:28:08
Speaker
Clean Run is a companion series to the Performance Without Toxicity exhibition that is open until 26th of June, 2026 at Fabrica X in London. I've popped a link in the show notes for you to find more details. Do visit the exhibition if you get a chance. It's a free exhibition.
01:28:25
Speaker
Genuinely, it's worth your time. You will walk away full of ideas and inspiration. As organizers of the exhibition, here's a quick word from Amy Tsang, head of Europe at Mills Fabrica, and Yumi Ito from Goldwyn, the leading Japanese outdoor and performance wear brand, sharing their thoughts on why this was an important and timely collaboration.
Mills Fabrica's Dedication to Innovation
01:28:47
Speaker
I'm Amy Tsang, Head of Europe at The Mills Fabrica. We're a global innovation platform dedicated to supporting innovations across the textile and agri-food industries.
01:28:57
Speaker
We have an investment fund, co-working spaces in London and Hong Kong, an innovation gallery and concept store called FabricaX, where we host exhibitions, and finally, we build strategic partnerships to accelerate sustainability across industries.
01:29:13
Speaker
Our latest exhibition in London, titled Performance Without Toxicity, is exploring a new paradigm for performance wear. One where technical excellence no longer comes at the expense of people or the planet.
01:29:26
Speaker
Today, Performancewear relies heavily on synthetic fibers and chemical treatments to deliver stretch, moisture management, durability, and weather resistance. But these solutions often come with considerable environmental trade-offs.
01:29:41
Speaker
Through this carefully curated exhibition, we're showcasing 37 companies that are advancing a clean, circular, and regenerative path forward for the industry from all around the world. spanning early stage startups to commercialize innovations and global brands.
01:29:57
Speaker
The creation has been supported by Goldwyn, our lead innovation partner, a Japanese performance brand that integrates research, design, and investment to advance the future of apparel and material systems.
01:30:10
Speaker
Performance without toxicity is guided by four key narratives. Reimagining materials, performance without petrochemicals, greener chemistries, beyond durability, designing for circularity and longevity, and finally, future footwear.
01:30:26
Speaker
For anyone curious about web performance where performance wear is heading and looking to discover some of the solutions that are making active wear better for the sake of our planet, then this is the exhibition for you.
01:30:37
Speaker
My name is Yumi Ito.
Goldwin's Commitment to Environmental Impact
01:30:39
Speaker
I worked at Goldwin Inc. and I am also a part of Goldwin Players Fund, Goldwin's corporate venture capital arm. Goldwin is a performance and lifestyle upload company. It was funded in 1951 as a knitting factory in Japan and soon after shifted its forecast toward a ah sports opera. Our origins lies in skiing, designing garments for snow, cold and extreme conditions.
01:31:11
Speaker
Over decades, we have built deep expertise in product development, working not only on our original brand, but also operating and developing leading outdoor and outsports brand in Japan, including the North Face, Harry Hansen, and some of them we are holding their trademarks domestically in Japan and developing products through our own design and R&D capabilities. with a unique retail strategy. This experience has shaped our identity.
01:31:47
Speaker
As a company rooted in sports and outdoor fields, we believe our true field is planet itself. um For us, reducing environmental impact so is Not an ad project, it's inseparable from our responsibility as a company that designs for life in nature. So we support startups and technologies that can help transform the Apple industry towards a more circular environment. regenerative and less responsible future. The steam of this exhibit exhibition felt like a very natural fit for us as a company, which is why we were excited to to be part of it. We've always loved how the Meals Fabrica supports innovators through exhibitions like this. It's something we've admired for a long time, and in many ways it reflects what we also hope to do through our own activities. So we are truly happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate on this project. It also connects directly to one of our company's visions to harness boundless imagination and employ innovative approaches aimed at fostering a healthier planet.
01:33:07
Speaker
Collaboration with MesoFabrica is another way of supporting and bringing that idea to life. At Goldwyn, our approach to making product is closely connected to improving the global environment. We see our product is not only as items people use, but also as a way to better understand the planet. Almost like a medium that helps spark dialogue about our relationship with nature.
01:33:38
Speaker
Rather than focusing on prototyping alone, we place a strong emphasis on turning new materials and technology into real products that we can actually deliver to customers.
01:33:51
Speaker
In this exhibition, you can see several tangible examples of that. including products developed in collaboration with our corporate VC's portfolio companies, such as Sympflax, Bioworks, and SolarCore Spiper, that has always already reached the market.
01:34:12
Speaker
Of course, developing new materials or technologies takes time, but ah We believe it's important to introduce these innovations to a wider audience through exhibitions like this. By sharing these efforts publicly, we can also communicate with the communicate the direction Goldwin is aiming for.
01:34:33
Speaker
At the same time, we recognize that we are not company with the scale to transform an entire industry on our own. That's why supporting communities like this, collaborating with other companies and creating opportunities for dialogue are so important to us.
01:34:51
Speaker
Through these kinds of collaborations, we hope innovative materials and technologies can gradually find their way into real world application.
01:35:03
Speaker
As Yumi mentions, reducing the environmental impact of their product is not just a side project for them.
The Role of Dialogue in Industry Transformation
01:35:09
Speaker
It's inseparable from their responsibility as an outdoor wear company. And I wish more companies, not just performance wear, but all companies would really start thinking like them. She highlights the importance of the need for dialogue. And this exhibition really does invite people into a conversation and encourage collaboration.
01:35:28
Speaker
and And really, this is the only way we can transform the landscape of outdoor and performance wear.
Closing Remarks and Invitation for Feedback
01:35:34
Speaker
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with someone who'd find it valuable. And if you'd like to support the podcast, there's a link in the show notes to buy me a coffee. It goes a long way during those late night editing sessions. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact me. All my details are in the show notes below.
01:35:52
Speaker
And I'd love to hear from you. Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, I'm Millie Thurakin, reminding you that there's no such thing as ordinary cloth. Every thread tells a story.