Me + Em’s sustainable partnership with Pangaia

Before this month, in collaboration with men’s, women’s and kid’s casualwear manufacturer Pangaia, British womenswear label Me+Em launched a vegan-friendly puffer jacket built making use of Pangaia’s technological know-how identified as “Flwrdwn” – that is, flower down.

Flwrdwn took additional than 10 many years of study and progress. It is a plant-primarily based, resource-productive choice to feather down and petroleum-based mostly artificial down, built with a composite of normal wildflowers, which are harvested by hand and grown in indigenous prairies without having any pesticides or artificial irrigation, and polylactic acid, a biopolymer manufactured from the post-industrial organic waste. Pangaia says this grants high fill ability and does not sacrifice general performance and toughness.

The collaboration’s conclude solution, a limited edition coat, is out there completely from meandem.com and in merchants, and retails at £395.

Drapers talks to Me+Em’s head of sustainability, Rachael Irons, about the partnership:

When did the partnership with Pangaia begin?

Our collaboration with [Pangaia’s innovative materials arm] Pangaia Science started in autumn 2020, as we appeared to make an ethically generated puffer jacket. Pangaia Science has invested a lot more than 10 years’ analysis and growth into floor-breaking technological innovation that needs professional production procedures and production companions. We were delighted to merge our one of a kind design method to developing for good style items with the impressive Flwrdwn filling.

The recent partnership with Pangaia Science is just for our Flwrdwn jacket, but we are currently checking out other sustainable collaborations for 2022 with likely other associates.

Is it superior for brands such as Me+Em to husband or wife with someone like Pangaia, who by now has the programs and technologies established up and ready?

It will be highly effective motion in the direction of a far more sustainable worldwide style field if brands and producers share their innovation and know-how invested in moral alternatives. It is commendable for Pangaia Science to present transparency inside its source chain, from its producing associates to its labelling suppliers.

What does the partnership entail?

We collaborated through the style system, allowing for us introductions to expert suppliers. Session was furnished during the fitting approach to be certain our style vision was aligned with the distinctive properties of the Flwrdwn filling and eventually the most effective building approach was employed.

Pangaia Science manufactured correct introductions to brands positioned in Bulgaria that specialise in developing the Flwrdwn puffer jackets, with the appropriate professional machinery.

We needed to resolve the dilemma of conventional puffer jackets being bulky and unpleasant to wear. As a result, we have graduated the quantity of padding: there is much less volume at the shoulders and upper body, by to the hem for the most flattering match.

What guidance does Me+Em have for other manufacturers wanting to make a partnership like this?

Respect and pay attention to professionals in their industry.

What are the gains?

As a foremost style and design- and client-led brand, it was intriguing to learn about an ethical and sustainable option to conventional style materials.  We’re happy to help this modern material as an alternative to animal- and petroleum-based down jackets.

What are the problems?

When embarking on any challenge involving new partnerships and production tactics, we have to have to let for extra time in the output procedure to enable the groups to fantastic the remaining end result.

This is a massive impact on the business, incorporating an more 12 months to the product timeline

Any foreseeable future ideas in the pipeline?

We are thrilled to see how our clients answer to this launch, and embrace any chances to collaborate with progressive companions in the future.  We are at this time doing the job on new sustainable initiatives, which will be rolled out all through 2022.

We have only just started to sketch and swatch for our autumn/wintertime 2022 collection, so it is also early to at this time comment on irrespective of whether we will be applying the Flwrdwn engineering once more upcoming year. Along with this, we are waiting around for our purchaser response to the present merchandise available to the market.