When we launched Humans Are Vain in 2019 one of the main aims was to develop new environmentally friendly and circular production methods. At the same time we also identified the huge problem of textile waste and the fact that only 15% of all textile waste is recycled when 95% could be recycled. In the USA alone 21 billion pounds of textile waste makes it’s way into landfill each year which makes up 7% of the total landfill. When you consider that 60% of all clothing is actually made from plastic (in materials like nylon and polyester) that’s a LOT of plastic been buried under the ground!!
We therefore wanted to find a way to use textile waste to 3D print footwear and eventually clothing so we teamed up with Stockholm University to develop a new type of 3D printing filament that would allow us to do this. We have already produced prototype 3D printed sandals made from bio based materials with the aim of trialling these in the market in 2020 while we develop the recycled textile footwear.
Our goal is to launch a footwear collection in 2022 that will be fully 3D printed from textile waste.
