Byborre stepping away from in-house label Editions

Dutch textile innovation studio Byborre has confirmed that Edition11, dropping this month, will be the last collection of its in-house label Editions.

In an open letter, Byborre co-founder and chief creative officer, Borre Akkersdijk, said: “There’s nothing that we use more in life than textiles. We need a textile's tactility and protection. Unfortunately, the majority of the industry isn’t showing us an inspiring way forward, yet. All of us need to do better. Our lifetime has seen how the rise of digitisation and open-source thinking changed the course of entire industries. Now it’s textile’s turn.

“This way, we’d like to put in writing that we will not continue Editions as you know it. What we will keep doing, is sharing everything we have learned - to help the industry move forward.”

Byborre has been actively challenging the textile industry “to do better, create more consciously and be transparent about how the industry operates,” since 2015, and used its in-house label Editions to showcase what is possible on a textile and garment level. However, the company now believes it is “time to move forward”.

Byborre confirms that Edition11 is its last collection from in-house label

Earlier this year, Byborre revealed that it would be only issuing one collection in 2022, Edition11, to step away from what it called the “relentless” fashion calendar as it looked to show that the industry needs to "make less but better products".

Editions proved that any brand could control its entire supply chain and environmental footprint, while creating products with a brand-aligned aesthetic. Byborre now believes that its mission to “educate a generation of conscious creators” is not limited to textile manufacturing and composition alone, but also includes educating and activating creators on all levels of the process, from yarn to textile to product.

With this in mind, Byborre said that Edition11 will be its last collection “as you know it”. It believes that everything it learnt from Editions is now accessible through its textile design platform Byborre Create and its ready-to-order textile library Byborre Textiles.

Akkersdijk added: “At Byborre, we have always been pushing the boundaries of our industry’s norms by digitising the supply chain, seeking out partners that share our values, and making how we design and produce textiles clear from the start. The journey of Editions is definitely one for the books. Its silhouettes and signature knits have built a legacy we, at least, will never forget.

“Why then, would we put a hold to Editions? It definitely wasn’t an easy decision, but we never set out to become a sizable fashion brand. Our mission is to educate an entire generation of conscious creators to make less, but more responsible textiles for the products we use everyday. We constantly seek out the best way to get closer to that goal.”