Mara Hoffman Unveils “The Dress That Changes Everything,” A Groundbreaking New Design Made Using Circ® Lyocell from Textile Waste
23 October 2023: Sustainable luxury designer Mara Hoffman recently released her first dress design using Circ® Lyocell, a filament lyocell derived from 50% recycled textile waste. Dubbed “The Dress that Changes Everything,” this collaboration between Mara Hoffman and Circ, the fashion technology company that recycles polycotton textile waste back into new fibers, is the first time Circ Lyocell is being used in the luxury market. The dress also heralds an ongoing partnership as the designer announces her commitment to transitioning to from virgin lyocell to Circ Lyocell in her collections over the next three years.
As a leader in sustainable and responsible design, Mara Hoffman was the first in the luxury market to openly replace silk with lyocell. This was a pivotal step forward, but one of many – as traditional lyocell uses wood pulp from trees as its main component. Her decision to use a regenerated version of the yarn, made from textile waste diverted from landfill and incineration, is indicative of the industry’s appetite for circularity and further elevates the brand’s commitment to sustainable materials.
As a capsule of 35 gowns in Mara Hoffman’s signature poppy color and strappy silhouette, each dress holds industry significance and is independently numbered as a collector’s item. True to the designer’s New York heritage, the gowns were cut and sewn in New York City, and customers can purchase the gown at the Mara Hoffman store in Soho. The dress features a note from Hoffman on a special sewn-in label created by Circ investor Avery Dennison, a materials science and digital identification solutions company. The Digital Care Label, powered by atma.io connected product cloud, is made of cutting scrap from the dress and contains a QR code individuals can scan to learn about the making of the dress, including its waste footprint.
Mara Hoffman, a recipient of the CFDA Environmental Sustainability Award, and Circ, an Earthshot Prize finalist, along with fellow brands, innovators, and supply chain partners throughout the market, share the perspective that we must address fashion industry’s carbon footprint – which accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions – for people and the planet. Each year, an estimated 46 million tons of polycotton textile waste is landfilled or burned because existing recycling solutions cannot separate the plastic (polyester) from the natural fiber (cotton) and recover both materials.
Circ´s innovative recycling technology is the only platform to successfully separate polycotton blended textile waste and recover both cellulosic and synthetic fibers. Utilizing this technology, Mara Hoffman and Circ have created a garment featuring lyocell made with 50% cellulosic pulp derived from recycled polycotton textile waste and 50% FSC-certified cellulosic pulp.
www.marahoffman.com
