THE CHALLENGE
The bomber jacket has always been a fashion icon. Initially made of leather, modern interpretations are mostly made of nylon/polyester, but at the same time, no brand has been able to recreate a fully sustainable version with the look and feel of the 1950‘s original (smooth & shiny). Thus, consumers still choose polyester versions, which contradicts a modern sustainable lifestyle.
 

THE SOLUTION
The idea is to develop an evergreen bomber jacket using new, mercerized fabrics made of organic cotton to achieve the typical outer look of a bomber jacket. The partnership will use an certified sustainable process to mercerize the fabric, filtering and recycling the required sodium hydroxide to avoid any water pollution. The lining would be made from 100% TENCEL.

 

THE IDEA
The problem with the classical bomber jacket touch and feel is its production process. It either required the use of polyester fabrics or a chemical process to treat the surface of a fabric. Both cannot be considered sustainable. Consequently, sustainable alternatives never really not looked like the classic bomber jacket everyone loves: No shinny look, no smooth surface. They rather looked like blousons. It was basically impossible to generate the desired look in a sustainable way.
 

THE BIRTH OF THE PROJECT
During a visit at our partner’s manufacturing facility we heard about a new mercerization technology that used a physical instead of a chemical process to filter acids from the water used during fabric treatment.
 

THE CREATIVE PROCESS
In close collaboration with our WORTH partners we found a way to use this new mercerization technology to treat the outer shell of a bomber jacket made from 100% organic cotton. As a result, the fabric looks more like the real bomber jacket – but without the use of plastics or chemicals. Throughout the project we even secured a GOTS certification for our new mercerized fabric.

THE FUTURE
There is always room for improvement. We used the feedback from our street interviews to work out an improved version of our sustainable bomber jacket. The sustainable bomber 2.0. It will be launched in March/April 2021 and then tested again.
Ultimately we want to incorporate the sustainable bomber jacket into our NOS offering and add additional colors, prints, etc.
 

THE MESSAGE
Don’t sell sustainability. Make it your worth ethos and excite your customers with innovation instead.