Madewell Recycles 20,000 Jeans
Madewell’s sustainable denim collection is reported to recycle 20,000 used jeans as part of its circular‑fashion push (x.com). The social chatter places the collection within broader seasonal sustainability conversations on X and fashion feeds (x.com).
Madewell has launched a recycled-denim capsule made from about 20,000 used jeans collected through its own trade-in program. (madewell.com) The collection went on sale April 9 and was developed with textile recycler Re&Up and denim manufacturer Isko, according to Re&Up and Women’s Wear Daily. (reandup.com) (wwd.com) Women’s Wear Daily reported that the online-exclusive release includes three styles: a Longline Straight Jean, a Darted Barrel-Leg Jean and a Wide-Leg Jean, each priced at $158. (wwd.com) Re&Up said it processed roughly 20,000 pairs from Madewell’s take-back stream into recycled cotton and polyester fibers, and Isko then wove those fibers into Global Recycled Standard-certified fabrics. (reandup.com) (wwd.com) Madewell is tying the capsule to a much larger resale and recycling pipeline. The company says it has collected more than 2.3 million preloved pieces through its Denim Trade Up program. (madewell.com) That program accepts jeans from any brand, gives shoppers $20 off a new pair for each pair traded in, resells gently worn items through Madewell Forever, and sends non-resellable denim to recycling partners. (madewell.com) Madewell has described itself as the first brand to offer year-round denim recycling through this program, which Women’s Wear Daily said has been running for more than a decade. (wwd.com) The capsule also lands as J.Crew Group, Madewell’s parent company, has been pushing broader fiber-sourcing targets. In its 2023 sustainability report, covered by Women’s Wear Daily in July 2024, the company said 56 percent of its key fibers came from sustainable sources and 1 percent of its cotton came from recycled sources in 2023. (wwd.com) Madewell’s older recycling chain has mostly turned worn denim into products such as housing insulation and packaging through programs including Blue Jeans Go Green. Cotton Incorporated said in October 2023 that Blue Jeans Go Green had diverted more than 2,290 tons of denim from landfills since 2006. (madewell.com) (businesswire.com) This new release shifts part of that flow from reuse or insulation into new jeans again — the harder version of circular fashion that brands have been trying to scale. (reandup.com) (wwd.com)
