Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering news from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.
A Blunt Story
Chance Operations’ A Blunt Story brand reimagines materials and products, addressing the industry’s over-reliance on crude oil while solving for circularity. The Ghaziabad, India-based brand’s mission is to phase out plastics commonplace in the fashion landscape, reduce microplastic pollution and ultimately turn waste into a resource by “creating solutions that respond to the waste and pollution crisis with urgency. As in something that works now, not just in the future, founder Chandni Batra said.
Related Stories
“The use of plastics, in many forms, in almost every component of a footwear, was shocking but explained the end-of-life issues with footwear and why abandoned footwear is found in the remotest of places,” Batra said. “That, compounded by the overwhelming waste and pollution crisis in India, compelled us to reengineer the materials in a way that not only addressed plastics but also looked to do so while addressing other waste streams.”
A Blunt Story’s flagship offerings include UnCrude and UnWaste.
UnCrude is a plastic-free sole material made from agricultural waste, biobased materials and recycled components. Designed to replace EVA, TPU, and synthetic rubber soles, the innovation promotes inclusive, sustainable solutions that benefit everyone throughout the value chain, starting with farmers and closing with consumers. Its footbed and midsole are 94 percent biobased, while the outsole is 70 percent biobased.
UnWaste is a circular cushioning material made from 100 percent post-consumer garment waste, replacing PU-based foams with upcycled post-industrial leather waste. Both materials are already in use via the brand’s range of sandals, which currently serve as a proof-of-concept while the company scales for B2B commercialization.
“The footwear industry is now at an inflection point—regulatory shifts and growing awareness around crude oil dependency and microplastic pollution and an increasing demand for products that enable a shift away from plastics calls for immediate, tangible solutions.” Batra said. “That’s where we come in. UnCrude is not just another next-gen material; it’s an immediate, scalable alternative designed to phase out fossil fuel-derived soles while integrating circularity from the ground up.”
Ganni x Polybion
Copenhagen-based contemporary brand Ganni has reteamed with materials science company Polybion for Paris Fashion Week, bringing Celium to the runway once more.
This season, the premium cultivated cellulose has been incorporated into two of Ganni’s XXL Hobo Bags—one in oil green and the other in blackberry wine—following various tests and trials. In fact, Polybion provided Ganni with nearly 50 grown sheets of its bacterial cellulose. The Danish label used those sheets to craft 12 pieces in various hues, which then went through “rigorous testing and creative exploration” until the final two bags hit the runway.
The partners emphasized the collaborative challenge of scaling biomaterials, noting that stakeholder commitment is crucial to advancing out of the lab and onto the runway.
“Biomaterials won’t become the new standard just because they’re biologically derived or sustainable. They need to bring something new to the table. Celium does exactly that,” said Alexis Gómez-Ortigoza, Polybion’s co-CEO and co-founder. “It introduces a fresh aesthetic, a circular sourcing model, and a biological origin story that aligns with what we believe is the future of luxury: Singularity, responsibility and material innovation. This collaboration is an invitation for brands to lead with vision and inspire with action.”
Kyocera
Electronics manufacturer Kyocera announced that Japanese brand Anrealage used fabric printed with the company’s Forearth inkjet textile printer for Paris Fashion Week.
“Leveraging Forearth’s eight-color ink printing technology, we achieved vibrant color expression that goes beyond the limitations of conventional CMYK four-color printing, successfully capturing the brilliance of RGB—the three primary colors of light,” said designer Kunihiko Morinaga. “This enabled us to create visual effects that give the impression of illumination without compromising the integrity of the fabric. Additionally, the pigment ink adhered seamlessly to textured materials such as jacquard and velvet, preserving their natural feel while expanding the possibilities of textile expression.”
This is Anrealage’s third Paris Fashion Week collaboration with Forearth, with 20 of the 24 outfits presented printed with Forearth fabrics. The third phase of the collection explored a “new form of expression” under the theme “Screen,” in which the garments themselves became “mediums that project light.”
“In this collection, we challenged the idea of projecting multiple designs onto black screen-textile garments printed by Forearth, allowing a single piece to embody diverse visual expressions,” said Morinaga. “Through these three collaborations, I have come to realize even more strongly the potential of advanced printing technology to expand the boundaries of fashion expression.”
Forearth’s water-independent, location-free printing allowed for equipment to be installed near the design and production sites, in turn creating greater flexibility in creative workflows with nominal lead time.
eVent
Global leader in waterproof and breathable technology eVent Fabrics debuted its latest laminate offering: StormburstLT.
The light, breathable StormburstLT joins the company’s existing laminates—including AlpineST for extreme applications, StormST for outdoor and lifestyle applications, and WindstormST for breathable windproof and softshell applications—to round out eVent’s collection of laminates, providing brand partners with custom solutions across the apparel and footwear sectors.
“With a focus on aerobic use, the StormburstLT ultralight technology platform fills a necessary category space for us,” said Chad Kelly, president of eVent Fabrics. “We designed stormburstLT with a super thin, 5-micron PFAS-free membrane, and will offer it with either lightweight woven or knitted face and interior fabrics, to create a versatile windproof laminate with very high moisture vapor transport and breathability.”
The company plans to market the StormburstLT offering to brands specializing in running, cycling, Nordic skiing, hiking, skiing, and activewear.
