SATCoL’s key supporting role in John Lewis’ Circular Knitwear Collection
John Lewis recently launched an innovative and first to market unisex knitwear collection made in the UK, from 100% reclaimed and repurposed wool - using a blend of pre and post consumer fibres, and Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL) is proud to play a key supporting role as John Lewis' FashionCycle partner.
Fuelled by John Lewis customers, the new knitwear collection is partly powered by customer donations to John Lewis' FashionCycle scheme, which is collected by SATCoL and sorted using its FibersortTM technology to separate garment made from wool fibres. This collection showcases a circular journey from unwearable wool to the new 19-piece colourful ensemble.
Made from reclaimed and repurposed wool, the collection features preloved wool clothing donated through the FashionCycle scheme, as well as other UK takeback schemes, which have then been converted into new garments using only UK manufacturers.
Bernie Thomas, Circular Economy and Sustainability Manager, at SATCoL said: "We are honoured to play a role in this ground breaking collaboration. Closed Loop is more than an initiative - it proves that British fashion businesses can lead the circular economy - transforming worn clothing and textiles into stunning new products, ready to begin their life all over again."
Megan Lovesey, John Lewis Knitwear Buyer said: "We're so excited to introduce what we believe is a first among major UK high street retailers, combining expert craftsmanship with customer donations to create a collection that continues our circular journey. I know our customers will love the collection, not only for the environmental impact, but also for the carefully considered and playful design of each piece. This collection is not only kind to our planet, but one that champions great British manufacture and craft, which we aim to continue supporting in the future."
Working with British wool recycler, iinouiio, the Closed Loop initiative pushes boundaries in terms of design and craftsmanship, featuring statement colours without re-dyeing wool. The pieces are also knitted seamlessly on specialist circular machines, reducing production waste, and designed for further recyclability at end-of-life, minimising the environmental impact of each product.
Dr. John G. Parkinson, iinouiio Co-founder said: "Some people would interpret the materials that we work with at iinouiio as 'waste', but we've never thought so. Instead, we think of them as 'raw materials', too often limited by our skills and imagination. Our collaboration with John Lewis develops this idea into action with a unique initiative for retailing in the UK. We're incredibly excited to see the collection land in shops and online."
The circular journey:
Step one: My John Lewis members drop off their pre-loved garments in any John Lewis shop to be resold or recycled using the FashionCycle scheme.
Step two: John Lewis' FashionCycle partner, SATCoL, then collects and sorts the garments which are suitable for recycling, using their leading Fibersort Technology to separate the wool fibres.
Step three: Once the wool garments are sorted, they travel to iinouiio, an expert textile recycler in Yorkshire, where they are cleaned, pulled, colour matched and combined with other waste wool to prepare them for re-spinning.
Step four: Z. Hinchcliffe & Sons, John Lewis' yarn spinners, then transform the recycled fibres into new recycled wool yarn by blending bespoke shades, spinning, twisting and waxing.
Step five: Expert knitters, Skinwear Ltd, knit the new yarn using waste-reducing circular knitting machines, individually hand-numbering each unique piece they create.