On 25 October, British outdoor clothing company Craghoppers held an event at Westminster’s Harrow Campus, to celebrate their new sustainable CO2Renu fleece range becoming part of the permanent collection of the Westminster Menswear Archive.
Craghoppers teamed up with industry experts, LanzaTech, to host a lecture to fashion students and guests about their latest range and what the future holds for the pioneering technology that uses carbon emissions to make everyday fabric. Their latest addition to its arsenal of planet-friendlier tech is CO2Renu. The technology, made in collaboration with LanzaTech, uses CO2RENU, a Bio3 carbon smart polyester that catches carbon emissions before they are omitted into the atmosphere. They are then transformed into yarns which are mixed with recycled polyester and used to create new fabrics.
The technology grabbed the attention of Virginia Grose, Head of Fashion at Westminster, and Professor Andrew Groves, the Director of the Westminster Menswear Archive, to whom Craghoppers donated two examples of the new collection when they visited.
During the event, guests were given a guided tour around the Fashion archive before they were able to listen to a live interview with Managing Director of Craghoppers Joanne Black, which formed part of Westminster’s Fashion Supply Chain module. During the interview and presentation, where students and press were able to ask questions, she discussed the company’s sustainable journey and looked to the future to see what is next for outdoor fashion. This was followed by a talk by Freya Burton, Chief Sustainability Officer at LanzaTech, who continued the discussion by demystifying the science behind this innovation.
Joanne expressed her delight ahead of her participation in the lecture: “The excitement at Craghoppers surrounding CO2Renu has been hard to contain since the technology was brought to life in 2022. We’re incredibly proud to share CO2Renu with the next generation of Fashion Business, Fashion Marketing and Fashion Design students and it’s an honour to be able to do so with such a respected authority in Fashion, such as the University of Westminster.”
Virginia Grose added: “The technology developed by Craghoppers and LanzaTech, is very exciting. We’re delighted they’re going to disclose how the technology works in the interests of better sustainability in the industry. This lecture will support our fashion student’s exploration of how technology can support sustainability and make a positive impact towards shifting consumer attitudes in clothing for the future.”
Find out more about Fashion courses at Westminster.
