Wrangler's foam-dyeing innovation

The iconic US denim label has announced that it will be introducing a line of jeans in 2019 that will use a breakthrough foam-dyeing process. The Dry Indigo process was developed with Texas Tech University, and is projected to eliminate 99% of the water currently required to make its denim blue.

The first of the foam-dyed fabric will be supplied by the Tejidos Royo mill in Spain, an industry specialist in pioneering innovative environmental processes, and is expected to start shipping to Wrangler by the end of 2018.

Recycled denim is no longer a niche category, as a growing number of mass-market brands make post-consumer recycled cotton jeans accessible on a commercial scale. A 2016 study by H&M found that employing recycled cotton “for the stages up to when the fibre is ready for spinning” reduces climate and water impacts by up to 90%.

Asos.com has partnered with Spanish textile recycler Recover to source post-consumer denim fibres that are mixed with African virgin cotton to create yarns strong enough for respinning. 36 of Mud Jeans’ 40-plus styles are up to 40% post-consumer recycled cotton – twice the industry average. Candiani’s Re-Gen denim comprises 50% Refibra and 50% pre-consumer recycled cotton with no fresh, raw cotton woven into the denim.