Napapijri to launch 100 percent recyclable jacket

Premium casual-wear brand Napapijri, owned by VF Corporation, is launching its first 100 percent recyclable jacket, which it states can be “re-engineered, re-born, and re-imagined infinitely” as part of its circular fashion strategy.

Launching in October, the sustainable Skidoo Infinity jacket is 100 percent recycled, made from Econyl recycled material and has been designed to “close the loop” and make fashion truly circular, with the brands new digital take-back programme.

On purchasing the Skidoo Infinity, customers will be invited to register online for the option of returning their jacket after two years, where it will be processed into new yarn and new products meaning it is a completely circular jacket.

Skidoo Infinity has been “developed, tested, and fine-tuned” over the course of three years to be sustainable and is the latest iteration of Napapijri’s iconic Skidoo jacket, which was first designed in 1987.

The innovation breakthrough comes from the mono-material composition of the jacket, as Skidoo Infinity’s filling and trims are made from Nylon 6, while its fabric is made from Econyl Regenerated Nylon, a high-performance nylon 6 yarn recycled from discarded fishing nets and other waste materials.

By using one material it allows for an easier recycling process, added Napapijri, as fibres are upcycled without losing any of their original characteristic or quality, which means that Econyl regenerated nylon can be recycled again and again.

Napapijri closes fashion loop with recyclable jacket and take-back programme

The project is part of Napapijri’s quest for innovative solutions in circular fashion, as Napapijri’s senior marketing director, Vicki Bohlbro, explains: “As a brand whose origins are firmly placed in the beautiful alpine landscape, the safeguard of nature has always been top of our agenda. Now more than ever, we are aware of the pressing issues we are collectively asked to address.

“We have chosen to do so by pioneering the future of fashion with Skidoo Infinity, a jacket that embodies our efforts to combine design, sustainability, and innovation to inspire a shift in the role our industry has to play in the preservation of the planet and its people through circularity.”

Giulio Bonazzi, chief executive of Aquafil, the makers of Econyl added: “Skidoo Infinity is a completely circular jacket. Napapijri is the first brand to take a jacket back to be recycled into new Econyl material thanks to our unique Regeneration System. So, when the jacket reaches the end if its life, it is only the beginning. This is a real first.”

The Skidoo Infinity will be available in blue and black for men, and white and purple for women, from October 21.

This sustainable jacket is the latest innovation from VF Corporation-owned Napapijri, last year it launched a new form of digital manufacturing called Ze-Knit, as part of its strategy to transform their production process, to reduce waste and speed up the process without effecting prices and in 2017 it made a commitment to animal welfare by going completely 100 percent down and fur free.

Image: courtesy of Napapijri