British tailoring brand Skopes has announced the launch of its first sustainably-sourced suit collection made using plastic bottles.
The suits, in the Leed-based brand’s Morelli, Pepe and Gambino ranges, are each made using at least 45 recycled plastic bottles. Skopes linked up with UK-based sustainable clothing manufacturer Lyfcycle to develop the new collection.
Other features include linings and woven labels made from recycled bottle tops, while paper hang tags are made from 100 percent recycled FSC-certified paper. Customers can scan QR codes on the tags to see how and where the suits were made.
“We are really keen to reduce our environmental impact and have developed this collection diligently with Lyfcycle over the past 18 months,” head of buying at Skopes, Nick McGlynn, said in a statement. “They have been a trusted supplier of ours for over 10 years so we are delighted to be the first brand to partner with them in this initiative.
“It has been really important to us from the outset that the quality control and design process should be exactly the same on this project as with any other collection. There’s been no compromise on looks and there is no way of telling the difference by touching and feeling the suits – just a huge benefit to the environment.”
Skopes said it is currently building on its eco suit range with more products in development. This includes a collection of shirts made from recycled fabrics due to be launched later this year. The collection will come in six colourways with a choice of tailored or slim fit.
“The aim with Lyfcycle is to create a fully self-sufficient, transparent loop of sustainable and traceable sourcing, production and delivery. As such, we are actively encouraging all our supply chain partners to follow this lead because the industry simply has to be more sustainable,” McGlynn said.
