Will Adidas’s collaboration with Prada on a Re-Nylon collection act as a segue for Econyl’s introduction to lower price-point brands?
As sustainable practices become increasingly favorable in the fashion industry, new fabrics are continually being developed. One of the fabrics garnering increasing traction at present is Econyl, a sustainable nylon alternative.
In 2007, Aquafil began developing a machine that could churn through most nylons to produce new threads ready to be repurposed. ‘Econyl,’ Aquafil’s biodegradable nylon, launched in 2011. Aquafil now sells these biodegradable threads to American brands, who use them to create apparel, industrial materials, and sportswear.
Mara Hoffman was one of the first designers to incorporate Econyl and uses it for her swimwear collections. Meanwhile, California-based brand Patagonia sells 50 products containing recycled nylon, and Italian fashion house Gucci used it in their sustainable Off The Grid collection. Stella McCartney has long been a pioneer for sustainable substitutes, so it is no surprise that she also uses Econyl—the material features in her sportswear line and ready-to-wear collections.
Prada’s signature fabric is nylon, and in 2019 the brand incorporated Re-Nylon (the brand’s name for Econyl) into their collections. Re-Nylon also plays a significant role in the brand’s recent collaboration with Adidas, which will launch on January 13 and focuses on sustainability. The partnership marks Prada’s production shift from virgin nylon to Re-Nylon. The collection, produced in Italy by Prada, transforms the iconic Adidas Originals Forum silhouette using Re-Nylon for the line.
As primarily high-end brands have made use of Econyl thus far, it’s worth asking whether or not the collaboration between Prada and streetwear brand Adidas will act as a segue for Econyl’s introduction to lower price-point brands. According to a 2019 Vogue Business report, the cost of Econyl is slightly higher than virgin nylon (about 15% to 20% more per meter). However, as it increases in popularity, it will likely become more affordable. If sustainable designers have anything to say about it, recycled nylon will likely become increasingly ubiquitous in an increasingly environmentally-conscious industry.
Images courtesy of Prada