Patagonia's new line 'Truth to Materials' salvages cloth scrap

California-based outdoor company Patagonia has developed a new line of clothing, co-designed by Claire Chouinard, called 'Truth to Materials' that uses cutting room scrap otherwise destined for the landfill as well as undyed cashmere and reclaimed cotton, wool and down.

“The capsule collection having seven styles explores radical new methods of manufacturing, born from a desire to reimagine the first stage of a product’s life: the source of raw materials,” Patagonia said.  

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atagonia is trying to minimize the effect of clothes on the environment

The new lines includes pullovers, cardigans, hoodies, scarves and jackets for men and women. With each material, the company has tried to keep the effect on the environment as minimal as possible.

"Our undyed cashmere is hand-harvested by goat herders who brush their flocks as they shift grazing grounds according to the seasons. The colors of the yarns - whites, browns and tans -are as nature intended. The end result is a material untouched by the process of fiber dyeing, which lessens the environmental impact and gives the material an even softer hand," says the company on its website.

For their cottons, Patagonia is working together with the TAL Group, one of the world's largest garment manufacturers. Since 2011, TAL has been collecting the cotton scraps from their garment factories in Malaysia and China, thus saving hundreds of tons of cotton from the landfill over the years. After spinning it into fully functional fabrics, it takes the scrap of about 16 cotton shirts to make one rerclaimed cotton shirt.  

For the reclaimed wool items, Patagonia works together with Figli di Michelangelo Calamai, an Italian company dedicated to the production of reclaimed wool. For the 'Truth to Materials' line, discarded wool sweaters are shredded into usable fiber and mixed with polyester and nylon for strength.

Last but not least, for the reclaimed down items, Patagonia has collaborated with designer and artisan Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin, using damaged down jackets that are beyond repair and have been returned to Patagonia (through the Common Threads Partnership recycling program). Her artisan quilters have developed a limited edition scarf that Patagonia calls a "wearable work of art".

"Creating these scarves is powerful in that we are giving new life to something old, something with history - and maybe passing on to the next user some of the energy or experiences in those old Patagonia coats," says Chanin. "The scarves are, in their own way, already heirlooms because they are being passed down from one person to another."

Photos: Patagonia men's reclaimed wool jacket, women's reclaimed wool parka, women's reclaimed cotton crew, men's reclaimed cotton hoody