Stella McCartney designs first garment made using biological recycling

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Dec 3, 2023

Protein Evolution, a biological recycling company backed by designer Stella McCartney, has unveiled the world's first garment produced using their innovative Biopure technology.

The coat, designed by McCartney in soft natural tones, draws inspiration from parachute styles that have become synonymous with her collections, seamlessly blending sustainable and sporty aesthetics.

To create the parka, Protein Evolution collaborated with partners in the EU, transforming rigid packaging and industrial textile waste into textile-grade polyester. Stella McCartney's team then spun the polyester into yarn and wove it into new fabric for the coat's design.

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“Today marks a pivotal moment in the move towards textile-to-textile circularity in the fashion industry,” said Connor Lynn, co-founder and chief business officer of Protein Evolution. “Not only is this coat validation for the utility and quality of biorecycled polyester – specifically polyester chips created using Biopure – it also offers companies an alternative to the landfill or incinerator for their fabrics, extending the life of their materials indefinitely.”

McCartney was an early investor in Protein Evolution. Protein Evolution’s initial fundraising round was led by Collaborative Fund’s climate-focused Collab SOS, which is in partnership with McCartney and LVMH. 

In late 2022, Protein Evolution and McCartney also announced a R&D collaboration for Protein Evolution to turn unused polyester fabrics from Stella McCartney’s previous collections into virgin-quality polyester.

“Anybody who knows me knows that I hate waste, which is why I am so thrilled about our collaboration with Protein Evolution,” said McCartney. 

“Through my SOS Fund, we were among the first to invest in their pioneering biological recycling technology; one that has the potential and power to transform the world's plastic waste into infinitely recyclable polyester. Over the last year, Protein Evolution has taken unused fabrics from my past collections to test and prove their textile-to-textile circular process. This allowed my atelier to design and create the beautiful, airy parachute parkas made from biologically recycled polyester that you can see today at our Sustainable Market at COP28.”

The parka will be on display at COP28 at the Stella McCartney sustainable fashion exhibit through December 12.