October 14, 2020

“It was time to take our sustainable efforts as a slow fashion brand to the next level.” — Marta Scarampi, Co-Founder and Chief Designer at Marta Scarampi

Our commitment to reducing waste

As many of you may already know, we at Marta Scarampi support the slow fashion movement. In fact, we’ve taken a radical approach against fast fashion and make every single order on-demand to avoid waste from having unnecessary inventory. We source our materials from local fabric mills, and always repurpose excess fabric to make accessories like headbands and hair scrunchies.

We also put great efforts in searching for quality sustainable fabrics, such as the 100% biodegradable wool from Woolmark, which we use to make our popular Leisure Giulia Cape.

But we never planned to just stop here. We want to reduce more waste — in all aspects — starting from the source, the core of the production process.

The Re-Waste Project and our mission

One of our main objectives is to evolve into a truly sustainable fashion brand that not only is built on a zero waste concept, but also become one that re-creates from waste.

“We look into the future and recognize the importance of embracing circular fashion; we want to not only support the idea of cutting down the amount of waste we produce, but also reducing the waste that already exists out there,” said co-founder Lucia Scarampi.

Especially given what is happening to the world now, seeing our beloved planet recovering from its “unexpected break,” it further strengthened our motivation to help ease the “stress load,” i.e. the staggering amount of trash in landfills and the ocean.

We decided it is time we move forward, despite being a challenging year. And hence, the birth of our Re-waste Project.

A short “Love Story” of how we met our new partners

In our process of searching for “the next step,” and specifically, a waterproof material, Lucia came across a recycled raw material that is known as the ECONYL® fibre one day while reading the book Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and The Future of Clothes by Dana Thomas.

“I remember I immediately put down the book, looked it up online, and before you know it, I sent out an email,” Lucia told us.

Aquafil, a manufacturer founded in Arco, Italy, is the company that produces ECONYL®, a regenerated nylon composed of used carpets, old fishing nets and other fabric scraps. Through them, we were put in touch with Gruppocinque, a fabric mill based in Como that uses the ECONYL® yarn to produce outerwear fabric.

When our co-founder and chief designer Marta Scarampi received the fabric sample — we could only describe it as love at first sight!

More about the ECONYL® yarn

The ECONYL® regenerated nylon is made by recovering nylon waste, which includes fishing nets from the oceans, fabric straps from mills, as well as old carpets that would have otherwise been sent to landfill. The transformation turns nylon waste into a quality nylon yarn that can then be used to produce fabrics, and later, brand new products.

The ECONYL® fibre plays a vital role in circular fashion. Because the cycle doesn’t simply end at the final product, but rather, it is an ongoing loop. Essentially, the yarn can be recycled and remolded again and again. It is infinitely recyclable and can unleash infinite possibilities for makers, creators and consumers.

Most recently, at a presentation at FashionNovation during New York Fashion Week, Aquafil Chairman and CEO Giulio Bonazzi discussed how fashion is shaping sustainability. According to the company’s press release: 

"For every 10,000 tons of ECONYL® raw material, we are able to avoid 65,100 tonnes of CO2 eq. emissions. It also reduces the global warming impact of nylon by up to 90% compared with the material from oil."

“The material made of the ECONYL® yarn is absolutely amazing; the quality is very high,” Marta told us. “I was extremely excited about using it to launch our Re-Waste Project, knowing that we can actively take part in tackling the plastic waste problem, and make beautiful garments out of it, too.” 

The Greta Capsule by Marta Scarampi

The first collection as part of our Re-waste Project is the Greta Waterproof Collection, featuring a Parka, a Cape, a Jacket, Belt Bag and Face Masks.

“With most of us working from home now, we shifted the focus to designing casual wear to fit the modern lifestyle,” Marta said. “We imagine you wanting to be comfortable when you’re out on the weekends, running errands, riding your bike, and really just enjoying being present, and being you.”

The Greta Parka is one of the spotlight products that offers the flare of a cape, functionality of a windbreaker, and ability of a raincoat. It also comes with an add-on option of a detachable hood to protect your hair and makeup from the wind and rain.  

The sustainable and season-less Greta Cape is your everyday go-to that is lightweight and waterproof, perfect for windy or rainy days.The cape is a new silhouette with a dropped shoulder that is designed to suit every body type.

Both the Parka and the Cape come with an add-on option of a detachable hoodie that can be easily packed away in the inner pocket.

The Jacket, a bomber shaped design, is perfect to be worn on its own or under the cape. It is a great transitional piece that comes with a wide water-repellant hood.

Marta decided to also create Face Masks with the same fabric since we’ve been aware of the “new normal waste” generated by disposable face masks.

“Even when you, one day, decide to discard the reusable Greta face masks, the best part is knowing that it can eventually be recycled, and turned into new ECONYL® fibre again,” Lucia mentioned.

One of the greatest characters of this collection is that every single item is machine washable! So don’t worry about getting anything wet and dirty, since it’s only a laundry cycle away from being sparkling clean again.

As always, we love to hear your feedback from you. Email us at info@martascarampi.com and one of our stylists will help you with sizing or any further questions.

To learn more about ECONYL®, you can visit their official website at https://www.econyl.com

Yours sincerely, 

The Marta Scarampi Team