Today we share part 9 of 25, in which we look back at the moment we dared to look beyond cotton.
Because if you want to change the industry, you first have to take a hard look at your own raw materials.
The limits of cotton
Cotton got us here. But it also held us back.
Without cotton, there would be no Kuyichi. Organic cotton, to be precise. It was our reason for being and the proof that things could be done differently.
But around 2008, something started to nag at us. Was organic cotton enough?
The answer was no. Even organic cotton needs land, water and time. If you're serious about sustainability, you can't rely on a single crop. However good that crop may be.
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AW08 campaign shoot
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AW08 campaign shoot
The search begins
So we started exploring. We threw ourselves into materials we barely had any experience with. Not just for our jeans, but across the whole collection.
Bamboo, which grows quickly without pesticides. Hemp, strong and light on water. Linen, an ancient fibre with new potential. Recycled PET, giving plastic bottles a second life.Every material raised the same question: could this make our clothing better? Sometimes the answer was yes. Often it wasn't.
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Denim made from soybeans
One experiment from that era deserves a story of its own: soya denim. This fabric is made by blending cotton fibres with fibres spun from the protein left over after soybeans are processed, a by-product of the food industry.
These fibres are known as Soybean Protein Fiber, or SPF for short.The result took us by surprise. The fabric feels incredibly soft, much like silk or cashmere. It absorbs moisture well and breathes easily. And it gives denim a more luxurious look and extra comfort. On top of that, it gave a food industry by-product a second life.
A sample still sits in our archive today, concept labels and all. A tangible reminder of just how far and wide we were searching in those years.
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Soya Denim – 2008
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AW08 campaign shoot
Searching also means failing
The fashion industry prefers to work with what's already proven.
Cotton is predictable. The entire supply chain is built around it. Machines, suppliers, processes.We strayed from that path and paid the price in lessons learned. New fibres behave differently in spinning, weaving and dyeing. Some fabrics fell short. Others exceeded our expectations.
We didn't know where it would lead. We only knew we had to try.
From experiment to conviction
What began as an experiment in 2008 became a conviction we've never let go of. Better clothing starts with better raw materials. And you only find better raw materials if you keep searching.
Not everything from that era made it into the collection. But the questions we learned to ask back then, we still ask today. With every fibre, every fabric, every new item.
If you want to change the industry, you first have to take a hard look at your own raw materials. That's what we did in 2008. And it's what we still do today.
This achievement isn't about one material. It's about the willingness to keep searching for something better, even when what you have seems good enough.
This was the 9th story in our 25-part series celebrating 25 years of Kuyichi.
Stay tuned for the next chapter of our journey. In the meantime, you can browse our latest items or revisit our previous chapter.
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"Can you read my thoughts? Kuyichi pioneering pure denim" – 2008
New in
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Better clothing starts with better raw materials.
And you only find better raw materials if you keep searching.
25 years of Pure Denim Pioneering. Every chapter a choice, every choice a step forward.
25 years of Pure Denim Pioneering
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