Denim Deal Curates Circular Fabrics; Aims to Grow Membership

Denim Deal, an industry-leading initiative committed to driving circularity in denim, is making it easier for brands to source fabrics made with post-consumer recycled (PCR) cotton.

The public and private organization unveiled the Denim Deal Approved Fabric Collection last week at Bluezone in Munich. The curation of fabrics developed by member mills contain a minimum of 20 percent PCR cotton and adhere to the group’s guidelines for quality and durability.

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While Denim Deal says the guidelines are a work in progress and will continue to evolve based on industry feedback and legislative requirements, they represent a critical first step toward standardized circular practices in denim production, as well as building confidence in the use of fabrics containing PCR cotton.

“There is no quality issue at all with 20 percent PCR—it’s not complicated. Brands are already using 50 percent,” said Max Gilgenmann, Studio MM04 co-founder and Denim Deal spokesperson.

Mills represented in the curation include Advanced Denim, AGI Denim, Bossa, Calik, CBL, DNM, Kipas, Maritas, Naveena, Orta, Realteks and Sharabati.

Denim Deal was at the German trade show to help debunk common misconceptions about PCR and to grow its membership.

The group recently released its first list of members since spinning off from Denim Deal 1.0, the 2020 initiative led by the Dutch government to scale PCR. Though denim mills make up most of the 40 members, Denim Deal has some brand members like Urban Outfitters, Dawn Denim and Mud Jeans.

Marian von Rappard, co-founder of Dawn Denim, said the ability to participate in Denim Deal workshops to enhance skills and share knowledge, connect and establish relationships with likeminded partners and participate in pilots and have access to pilot results are invaluable benefits to any brand navigating circularity.

Denim Deal aims to grow brand memberships, as they’re in the driver seat to achieve its goal. Together, Denim Deal members are working toward producing 1 billion pairs of jeans containing at least 20 percent PCR by 2030.

“It’s ambitious, it’s a moonshot goal, but I believe it’s possible to achieve it in different ways,” Gilgenmann said.