One of your favourite denim labels is now more sustainable

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14th Aug 2019

Over the past three years, Australian denim brand Neuw Denim has been quietly working on its sustainable practices. The brand’s trio of co-founders, Par Lundqvist, Richard Bell and Stephen Little have already secured a large fanbase for their premium denim label but that doesn’t mean they were intending to stop there. In May of this year, the brand launched Zero, a dedicated sustainable initiative to reduce the environmental impact of the denim it produces. The new collection of Zero denim furthers the brand’s efforts to make denim that will last the test of time in our wardrobes but not in landfill. Ahead of the launch of a new collaboration with Holly Ryan, which includes a range of graphic buttons for the Zero pieces specifically, Lundqvist fills us in on the new range. 

What can you tell me about Zero, your new sustainable denim collection?
“Zero is something we are really proud of. Zero completely replaces traditional denim manufacturing processes, reinventing them with the sole objective to decrease the overall environmental impact. With Zero specifically, we decided to completely overhaul the washing process, simply because it was the biggest immediate impact we could make. We are extremely proud to say that the water used in our manufacturing process is reused, renewed and recycled with zero waste being discharged back into the grid as contaminated sewage. In addition to this, Zero eliminates classic stone-washing methods by adopting the use of synthetic stones in replace of traditional pumice. Made from an environmental resin this innovative alternative leaves no washing waste or sludge behind, decreasing our carbon footprint and allowing us to clean and recycle water in a much more energy efficient manner. Lastly, we decided it was integral to eradicate the use of chemicals in the distressing phase.”

Why have you chosen now as the right time to launch Zero?
“We’ve actively been exploring new methods and techniques to reduce water use, chemical use, and waste production for quite some time and only now are we confident that our product and process is good enough for market.”

Can you tell the story of how Neuw came about?
“Neuw was started by three friends from Melbourne and Stockholm with a shared fascination for premium denim and alternative music – two defining pillars that still remain today. Their dream was to bring quality denim out of the history books and into the 21st century.”

Denim production does have a large impact on the environment. Can you please explain why this is?
“Fashion is such an imperfect business and we admit to being a part of it. We’re not going to pretend we are perfect, the industry has a long way to go to improve the impact it has on our planet. However as a brand and as individuals we place sustainability and environmental impact at the top of our priority list. We have clear and specific goals for a cleaner, and greener future. We are not as good as we want to be yet, but we are certainly making significant progress every day.”

What can you tell us about your factories and how you continue to evaluate the efficiency of these spaces?
“As an industry, we must innovate for a more sustainable future. At Neuw, our staff, our designers, our factories, and our laundries are all focused on decreasing our footprint in many different ways. Our commitment, across both our supply chain and our business operations which includes stores and head office, is focused on the reduction of energy, waste and water, the elimination of hazardous substances in our products and increasing the sustainability of the raw materials we source. We’re passionate about working with the best mills, laundries and factories in the business, particularly those making sustainability a priority so we’re proud to share some of our key partners and their efforts. And we don’t take that for granted.”

What denim trends are you seeing for this coming winter? What should we invest in?
“A trend that will never die, skinnies will always be our mainstay in our wardrobe. We are however seeing a huge shift towards looser, straighter, and more fashion forward silhouettes. Waists are still super high but leg profiles have become more relaxed. Crop kick flares and crop straights are the perfect investment for this winter, worn with ankle boots, dirty cons or dad sneakers. We’re feeling vintage-inspired indigo washes and faded blacks this winter season, paired up with statement blazers or bold chunky knitwear.”

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