To harvest the raw materials of our first HNST collection, the last two weeks of September 2017, together with De Collectie and Opnieuw&Co, we organized a collection campaign where everybody was invited to hand in their old or unworn denims in one of over 80 collecting points. From various locations in Flanders (Belgium) we collected 6003 old denims in just two weeks time!
All the collected denims were sorted out by De Collectie according to quality and reusability. About half of the denims were no longer wearable. These were being recycled and generate enough raw materials to make more than 5100 pair of recycled jeans. The collected jeans that were still of good quality were given to the local used-goods store of De Kringwinkel Antwerpen.
The fibres of the recycled old denims are being mixed with Tencel® by our partner European Spinning Group and spun back into yarn. This process happens in Flanders (Belgium). The yarns for our HNST collection are made out of 50% recycled old denim (cotton) and 50% Tencel®. This is the highest percentage of recycled fibres technically possible to date. We will however keep on investigating how we can further increase the amount of recycled denim fibres without compromising our desired quality.
The yarn is being indigo dyed by our Italian partner PureDenim. This is done with the innovative SmartIndigoTM technique that requires no hazardous chemicals to make the indigo water soluble. To fixate the indigo onto the yarn, we use the all natural chitosan instead of the synthetic PVA that is commonly used in the industry. This way no micro-plastics are being released into the water during the dyeing or washing process.
The production of the HNST collection takes place in Italy. This way we can guarantee the best quality and working conditions. We like to keep most of our denims as raw as possible. This means we only give them a light tumbler dry when finished. For those who like their jeans a little lighter and softer, together with our laundry partner, we have investigated the various washing recipes and used substances to make sure no unwanted substances are being used. This way we comply with the Greenpeace Detox-standard.
