Byborre to step away from “relentless” fashion calendar

Dutch textile innovation studio Byborre will only issue one collection in 2022, as it steps away from what it calls the “relentless” fashion calendar to show that the industry needs to "make less but better products".

In an open letter, Byborre chief creative officer and co-founder, Borre Akkersdijk, said: “Since 2015, we at Byborre have actively challenged the textile industry to be better, to create more consciously and to be transparent in what the industry does. We have opened the conversation by showcasing and proving what is possible, through our in-house label Editions. Now it is time to move forward, we want and need to be better.

“We have taken the last six months to review our processes, impact and textile usage as a label, looking at how we can improve. Our mission to ‘create conscious creators’ should not solely be limited to the textile manufacture and composition alone, and we should strive to educate and inform on all levels of the process, from yarn to textile to product.”

With that in mind, Editions11 will be Byborre’s only collection for 2022 and it has also streamlined a number of its core styles to simplify them for production by looking at lines and seams and developing new base blocks. Key styles that have been given a complete overhaul include the Weightmap Sweater, the Tapered Cropped Pants and the Hoodie. The collection also introduces the N-Type Jacket and Studio Jacket and a further exploration into home goods.

The textiles company added: “We will continue to rewrite the rules of responsible textile creation, digitise the design and production process and provide Textile-as-a-Service. Further refining our patterns and lines to limit waste, assessing the collection size for concise yet optimum representation by working with a condensed selection of key pieces and new styles and stepping further away from the relentless fashion calendar.

“We strongly believe that the industry must do better, for the sake of the planet and ourselves and by showcasing what is possible, educating and taking a stand, we can instigate that change - together."

Byborre also noted that it will continue to share its knowledge on responsible textile creation and production and provide the platform, resources and knowledge to enable this, such as through its Byborre Create design tool for artists and creators.

Byborre will release its Editions11 collection to retailers and consumers in autumn.