Skeptics of denim’s role in work-from-home attire have a new case to review. A collaboration between Soorty and Lenzing demonstrates denim’s positioning as a comfortable and on-trend home-office uniform.
The leaders in sustainable denim joined forces to launch Reload in Blue, a collection of elevated loungewear styles that make soft denim suitable for the home and beyond. Further underscoring denim’s range, the line offers Zoom-appropriate athleisure sets and sleepwear alternatives made of denim.
The collection combines the companies’ commitment to limiting their environmental footprint, and includes Lenzing’s environmentally responsible and biodegradable fibers as well as the LEED-certified production methods of Soorty’s vertically integrated infrastructure.
“Collective action and collaborative effort [are] what we need to drive the change for the better,” said Eda Dikmen, Soorty Enterprises marketing and communications manager. “We’ve designed, dreamed and produced Reload in Blue to be a welcoming collection, and this was reflected to every detail of the collection.”
Fabrics are made with Tencel lyocell, a certified fiber produced from sustainably sourced wood using closed loop and environmentally responsible processes. Lenzing provides physical identification for every Tencel branded fiber with its fiber identification technology, assuring brands and consumers that the raw materials it uses originate from responsible resources.
Designed in New York and produced in Karachi, Pakistan, the collection is now available to view at Soorty’s newly opened SpaceD showroom in New York’s Flatiron District. The space serves as a meeting location for brands and sustainably minded individuals to connect and accelerate progress towards a sustainable denim sector.
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“Soorty knows that only by working together with those with whom we share values—only by really understanding each other’s struggles and advantages and helping where needed—can we transform our supply chain into a value chain,” Dikmen added.
Soorty’s recent partnerships include a July 2021 collaboration with supply chain sustainability analysis platform Green Story for an extensive Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of two garments with differentiated raw materials and garment processes. It also formed a landmark partnership with Turkish denim mill Isko on a technology licensing agreement that brings the companies together for the production of fabric and garment collections.
Seizing on the zeitgeist, Reload in Blue reflects the demands of a post-Covid society that values both comfort and functionality without sacrificing style. Whether going into the office or remaining remote, workers are searching for styles that check both boxes. In a September report, retail analytics firm Edited urged retailers to stock their stores with men’s workwear items that appeal to a range of employees, including hybrid workers, active commuters and those seeking traditional looks. For retailers, this meant swapping chinos and suit pants with bottoms featuring elasticated details and loungewear-inspired elements such as cinched ankles and drawstring waists.
“Globally, we have been facing such challenging times. Reload in Blue represents the current ethos where we need to recharge our lives with goodness,” said Tricia Carey, director of global business development at Lenzing. “The feeling from within is reflected in the choices we made in apparel. The rich emotion of denim connects to the best moments of life which Reload in Blue brings together.”