Don’t throw it away: How our favourite clothes save the environment

Bought at the last open-air festival before Corona, worn on the first date or a dearest memory of the dream journey: Textiles are often associated with beautiful moments in life and it is difficult to part with them – even if they should have been in the closet long ago.

The Californian clothing innovator Dhana Inc. has developed a strategy for these favorite pieces that gives them a new life: the Circular Memory Jacket. The jacket is the first part of a collection produced in the spirit of the circular economy. It fascinates with an emotional story and at the same time emphasizes sustainability in fashion. The Circular Memory Jacket represents a new, waste-free and sustainable reality in textile production.

Because each jacket is unique with an individual lining made from ten of the customer’s favorite garments. At Dhana, a personal unique piece with a high memorable value is created on-demand. And not only the inside of the jacket is recycled. The outer skin also consists exclusively of leftover textile production residues that would otherwise have ended up in the trash.

Here in the video you can see how the jackets are made and in summary what they stand for.

Increasing pressure on the textile industry

Shamini Dhana, founder and CEO of Dhana, Inc. explains how the product idea came about: “More and more consumers are demanding transparency in the production of their garments – they want to understand how, by whom and with what they were made. Our new Circular Fashion Collection helps our customers, invites them to help shape each piece and express their values through clothing. The current linear model of the textile industry, with its large amounts of non-renewable resources used to make clothing, is not sustainable. Textiles are often worn for only a short time and end up in the landfill far too quickly”. To counteract this is Dhana’s top priority.

Association for more sustainability

In order to give more emphasis to this intention, the company is an active member of the Global Fashion Agenda. The Global Fashion Agenda sees itself as a sustainability forum for cooperation between the fashion and textile industries.

The Circular Memory Jacket fulfils three of the fashion strategies on the initiative’s agenda:

1. a design strategy within the framework of the circular economy:

The Circular Memory Jacket is 100 percent recycled and does not consume any new resources. Dhana customers can use the “Repair or Recycle” offer to return their jacket at any time for repair or – at the end of the wearing period – for 100 percent recycling.

2. use of existing resources:

Customers’ favourite pieces are not disposed of, but become individual linings.

3. processing of residual materials:

The Circular Memory Jacket is based on a zero waste concept. It is made from processed and recycled waste materials that would otherwise have ended up in the trash.

And if you feel like mucking out your closet, you can order your memento here. The jacket is available in ladies’ and men’s cuts. Dhana produces in the USA and ships worldwide.

pictures: Dhana Inc.