Next-gen materials in Fashion & Luxury: the year of change

On this site, we have always observed the application of new materials in Fashion & Luxury with interest. Next-gen productions finally seem to be close to reaching industrial scale, especially for this reason, we feel we must follow-up with a new, specific in-depth analysis.

A decade of investments and experimental processes

The idea of a future that is always more sustainable thanks to alternative materials, of natural origin, began spreading throughout the fashion world approximately ten years ago. Since 2015 to present day, in fact, the interest, experimental processes and global investments (estimated to be 2.3 billion dollars) from new startups in innovations such as leathers of vegan origin and bioengineered ingredients has been significant.

A context we have already described in our previous article and which leads to a rather well-defined situation;  the challenges to reach the desired targets are long-term, they require significant economic commitment and interest on behalf of businesses and consumers. Even though the backdrop, therefore, is not among the easiest, some procedures and the use of natural elements in the production processes seem to have finally reached maturity.

The 2025 test bench

It was precisely in the final days of last January that Spiber, the Japanese company specialized in the production and development of textile biomaterials, announced strong alliances with important brands to create a global circularity solution. The goal is that of transforming end-of-life textiles and agricultural waste into alternative materials.

In fact, the company has created a program inviting industry players to join the project. The target is to implement the technologies, infrastructures and policies necessary to achieve a circular ecosystem of biobased, biodegradable productions to be used as nutrients at the end of their use.

Therefore, the new materials are starting to reach industrial scale: the challenge for next year is to see if the startups will be able to demonstrate that they can actually implement expansion plans.

The Bizeta Retail Solutions team will keep you updated on all future developments!