Eco-Luxe and Savile Row tailors will reveal a new recycled wool cloth for Wool Month
The tailoring houses on Savile Row have always strived towards sustainable methods in their craft, with recycling, repurposing and amending as some of their core values. Eco-Luxe takes these efforts a step further by collaborating with Savile Row companies on producing bespoke garments, accessories and textiles from recycled wool cloth made entirely of wool off-cuts. Bespoke tailoring houses, accessories and cloth merchants from Savile Row and surrounding streets that have taken part in this ambitious and important project include Anderson & Sheppard, Gieves & Hawkes, Henry Poole & Co, Richard Anderson, Dege & Skinner, Kathryn Sargent, Holland & Sherry, Arthur Sleep and Pickett London. Spending months collecting the tailors excess fabric cuttings, Eco-Luxe founder Su Thomas collated over 200 kg of textile waste to ‘kick start’ the bedding-in of the first ‘fibre opening’ machine in the UK at iinouiio. It was then sent to iinouiio Ltd to convert the waste pieces of cloth into a yarn, before being woven into cloth at Woven in The Bone, a micro mill in Scotland. The project has so far resulted in 36 metres of grey herringbone luxury cloth, the first of its kind used in Savile Row tailoring. It’s truly a step forward to a future with zero-waste tailoring and highlights the tailor’s recognition and importance of reducing textile waste that goes to landfill.
At the launch the tailors will be showcasing the cloth, garments, products and homeware items created with this new cloth at Holland & Sherry, Savile Row where the process of transforming the wool into a new yarn and cloth will be shown through imagery and film. Supported by the Campaign for Wool, there will be special dedicated window displays along Savile Row, Old Burlington Street and Clifford Street.
Peter Ackroyd, COO The Campaign for Wool commented: “The Campaign for Wool is delighted to see the development of a scheme to ensure tailors on the Row spare no effort in ensuring almost zero waste occurs in the already ecologically efficient creation of bespoke clothing. To see further life given to what would be considered waste is particularly encouraging. Wool, unlike the vast majority of fibres, at the very end of its life, is perfectly biodegradable and if buried, actually enriches the soil”.
His Majesty King Charles III, quoted when he was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Patron Campaign for Wool: “It is abundantly clear to me that we need to make changes to the way we think about the production, use and the disposal of clothing and textiles if we are going to get anywhere near to meeting the United Nations climate change goals set for the industry. A major part of that change has to be moving from a linear system to a circular one, where textiles and clothing are produced sustainably, enjoy long use, and are made using natural materials, such as wool, which will biodegrade naturally and quickly at the end of their useful life.”
Jenny Casebourne, Head of Portfolio at The Pollen Estate said: “The Pollen Estate is proud to celebrate Wool Month and support Campaign for Wool by hosting their pop-up on Old Burlington Street. The pop-up provides a fantastic opportunity to highlight wool and showcase British and international brands supporting its cause. For the first time in history, many of the tailors on Savile Row have come together to make a luxury wool cloth made out of textile off-cuts. It’s a true example of circular fashion and showcases innovation, sustainability and craftsmanship on the Row. Presented to the public for the first time, the tailors will be exhibiting the cloth and products they have created at the pop-up and in their windows. This new recycled cloth is an inspiring example of what our tailors can accomplish when coming together.”
Anda Rowland, Anderson & Sheppard said: “As soon as we saw the first bolt of grey herringbone cloth, the verdict was unanimous – we wanted to introduce it to customers. It has the look and feel of a traditional Shetland Tweed with subtle variations in colour that change with the light. The process works best with woollen fibres and luckily over 80% of our clothing is tailored from high-quality wool. This innovation has already reduced waste at Anderson & Sheppard as collecting off-cuts in Eco-Luxe jute bags has become second nature.’
Davide Taub, Gieves & Hawkes commented: “Gieves & Hawkes Bespoke are making a two-piece suit from the recycled tweed. To continue along that theme of sustainability, we are using deadstock upholstery for the lining, and remnants for the trimmings. The garment is inspired to be used for wild gardening, foraging, and generally being at one with nature.”
