Fashionista features Tômtex and Keel Labs

Fashionista’s article on fabric innovation titled, The Most Exciting Advancements in Fabric Innovation Right Now featured Tomtex and Keel Labs.

It discussed the latest looks on catwalks featuring novel materials, such as a crochet Stella McCartney dress made of Keel Labs’ Kelsun fibers and Tomtex for Peter Do and Dauphinette.

Keel Labs CEO Tessa Callaghan explains that the raw material for most textiles originates from petroleum, cotton, or wood pulp resulting in the raw materials industry being monopolized by these three sectors.

The article discusses how the fashion industry has shifted from upcycling to ensuring that the materials used are biodegradable. Companies like Tômtex and Keel Labs are at the forefront of this movement with their novel biodegradable materials. Tômtex founder Uyen Tran explains how green chemistry can help create novel bio-based materials and how it’s the best way to move forward.

The article also delves into scaling up and pricing. Tran expresses how affordable pricing is crucial to making bio-based materials more accessible to have a larger impact.

When asked about the next steps for the fashion industry, Callaghan states that she hopes to see a holistic integration of innovations to ensure that safe dyes are used and circular products are developed.