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Pure Materials

At Kuyichi we take great care in the design of our pure goods focusing on the development of timeless products that can become your favourite. Not only do they have to stand the continuous change of trends, but they should also be worn until they tear. We choose high-quality materials and work on the longevity of our jeans constantly to achieve this. We love to give you some more info on the different materials and processes that we use.

If you want to dive deeper into the whole process of our products, from the design to the final finish, you can check our sustainability report for some in-depth information on our supply chain and practices.

PURE PROCESS
PURE PROCESS

our materials

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Organic cotton

Since 2016, all the cotton we use is certified organic cotton with a proof certificate document. Organic crops are grown without the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides. The use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides harms the environment and communities. Organic farming is all about a balanced ecosystem, where healthy soils aid clean waters, promoting better development of crops. Organic is better for the people who farm it and for your own skin. We have an ‘Organic Cotton Only’-policy that all our suppliers have to comply with.

Cotton in conversion

Cotton in conversion is the fibre produced during the transitional period from a conventional cotton farm to organic cotton production. This process takes up to three years, in which farmers follow organic farming practices and focus on soil health. However, the cotton fibre is not yet certified as organic. By supporting farmers in converting to organic cotton, we rebuild the relationships in our supply chain and can directly contribute to positive change in the field. We started our first cotton in conversion project with our Turkish denim mill Bossa in 2022.

Read more about cotton in conversion

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Recycled Cotton

Since 2012 we have been using recycled cotton in our denim fabrics. Cotton waste is captured or collected, shredded and re-spun into a new one-of-a-kind yarn. Recycling greatly reduces the water, energy and chemicals needed to produce virgin fibres. All products stating recycled cotton use cotton fabric and fibres that are wasted in the production chain. From fibres captured during the spinning, dyeing and weaving processes, to fabric scraps in the cutting stage. This way we cut down and utilise waste streams in our facilities.

Post-Consumer recycled cotton

PCRC stands for Post-Consumer Recycled Cotton, which means that the fibre used for new denim, has already had a full life. It has been produced, worn, and discarded. After cutting off the top of the jeans, the remains are shredded and then blended into new yarns. The top with the waistband is cut off as it contains a lot of metal parts, that can disrupt the shredder. Using the post-consumer clothing waste stream has several benefits. Fewer clothes will end up in landfill and fewer chemicals and water are needed for cotton production and fabric dyeing. Increasing the use of PCRC is part of the Denim Deal we signed.

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TENCEL™ LYOCELL

TENCEL™ Lyocell is made by Lenzing and sourced from controlled and certified wood. It uses a unique closed-loop production process, which transforms wood pulp into cellulosic fibres with a low environmental impact. The process recovers and reuses the water and the solvent for over 99%. TENCEL™ Lyocell feels soft on the skin, it is durable and biodegradable. TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG. Read more about TENCEL™ Lyocell.

TENCEL™ MODAL

TENCEL™ Modal fibres are well known for their softness. They are made from mainly beech wood, sourced from certified and controlled forests in Austria and other European countries. TENCEL™ Modal are produced in an eco-responsible way. These fibres have a low environmental footprint and are both biodegradable and compostable. This means that they can fully revert back to nature. TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG.

Read more about TENCEL Modal.

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TENCEL™ X REFIBRA™ fibers

TENCEL™ Lyocell x REFIBRA™ technology are the first step for Lenzing towards a circular textile industry. These cellulosic fibres are made with the same award-winning closed-loop process as TENCEL™ Lyocell™ fibres. The REFIBRA™ technology upcycles cotton scraps from garment production and post-consumer cotton textiles into renewed fibres. The recycled cotton pulp - up to one-third - is added to certified wood pulp and used to produce new TENCEL™ Lyocell fibres. Lenzing pushes to increase the amount of recycled cotton for the TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ fibres to at least 50% in 2024. TENCEL™ and REFIBRA™ are trademarks of Lenzing AG. Read more about TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™.

Linen

Linen is made from the strong fibres in the stems of the flax plant. Flax is a low demanding plant, growing well in more mediate climates. The flax plant needs few to none pesticides. It’s one of the strongest - and oldest - fibres out there with a high durability. Linen gives your clothing a nice fresh, crisp and richly-textured feeling. All our linen is farmed in Europe, in France and Belgium to be exact.

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T400 Ecomade

T400 ecomade is an innovation fibre from Lycra. It’s composed of one part recycled PET polyester, one part plant-based polymers, and one part virgin polyester. The different components react differently to your body's warmth, creating the stretch while keeping the shape of the fibre. This means your denim literally needs to warm up to you to give a comfortable stretch to your body. The biggest benefit of the T400 ecomade is the recovery, it turns back to its original shape after cooling down, creating a lasting fit for your denim.

Hemp

Hemp is a fast-growing plant made from stem fibers of the cannabis sativa plant. This plant captures carbon from the air faster than trees and most other plants. Which means, using more hemp for clothing could help lower our carbon emissions! Hemp is perfect for crop rotation as it enriches the soil but it can also be grown season after season as it enriches the soil. Because hemp grows so fast, it uses less land and water compared to other crops like cotton or trees, creating less environmental impact. We love hemp because it makes our pure goods stronger, more absorbent and more durable!

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Recycled Polyester

To make recycled polyester, plastic bottles are collected, shredded and re-spun. This saves over 75% of greenhouse gas emissions and more than 90% of the chemicals needed to produce virgin polyester. Furthermore, recycling PET stops plastic waste from polluting the land and oceans. We use the GRS (Global Recycling Standard) certificate on fabrics that contain recycled polyester. This guarantees that only post-consumer PET bottles are used for our recycled polyester yarns.

Vegetable-tanned leather

We strictly only use vegetable-tanned leather. Using vegetable tanning reduces chemical risks like heavy metals and other harmful substances used in the production of leather, protecting both the environment and the workers. Vegetable tanning is an old craftmanship that keeps nature in mind. Combine this with new environmental practices and you’ve got yourself a clean process. All leather we use comes from European cows that are primarily farmed for their meat and is therefore a by-product of this industry. More about our leather suppliers here.

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PURE PROCESS
PURE PROCESS

Pure process

LOW IMPACT WASHES

There are a lot of different ways to create a more sustainable wash on your denim. Every style has its unique wash recipe to get to the ideal ‘worn-in’ look. You can use different technologies like laser, ozone and e-flow machines or substitute harmful chemicals for better low-impact ones. We constantly work on improving our washes by incorporating these options in our wash recipes. Read more about low-impact wash techniques here. Water-saving techniques are not only used during washing, also in our dyeing processes our suppliers limit the consumption of water. Besides they take care that the wastewater that comes out of the processes is cleaned and filtered and recycled as much as possible. The best options are our undyed denim items.

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EIM SCORES

EIM stands for Environmental Impact Measuring. This tool is developed by Jeanologia, a company which develops machines and sustainable technologies for the fabric and garment finishing industry. EIM makes it possible to calculate the exact water, energy, chemicals and worker impact of our pure goods! In our sustainability report, we dive deeper into the numbers behind our denim washes and the results that we have booked this far. You can find the report at the top of this page.

BETTER CHEMICALS

In our dyeing and washing processes, we focus on using new techniques and better chemicals with a lower environmental impact. These chemicals comply with the KUYICHI RSL and MRSL. The RSL are chemical limits for the final garment that are based on the OEKO-TEX 100 standard. The MRSL adopts the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) MRSL and lists chemical substances that are banned from intentional use for production processes in our garments. We also have an offer of certified garments that comply with the chemical standard of ‘Global Organic Textile Standard’ (GOTS) or ‘Global Recycle Standard’ (GRS). For more information check our sustainability report at the top of this page.

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VEGAN PATCHES

Since 2016 we’ve replaced the leather patches with jacron patches on the back of our jeans. Jacron is a washable and resistant material made from - in our case recycled - paper and glue. By using jacron patches, our jeans became vegan-proof. Since 2020 we have used the Viridis patch from Panama trimmings. These partly biobased polyurethane (PU) patches are made from 48% corn polyols, 26% cotton and 26% normal PU. Not only are our patches a vegan substitute for leather ones on denim, but they also have a lower environmental and worker impact.

RECYCLED POLYESTER SEWING THREAD

We were the first denim brand using Ecoverde recycled polyester sewing threads by Coats. These recycled threads have exactly the same performance and durability as the non-recycled threads that are conventionally used but bring the benefit that no new resources are needed to produce the yarn. Coats, as a global leader in sewing threads, is working on improving their own sustainability and the ecoverde thread is one of the outcomes of this process.

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Certificates & Initiatives
Certificates & Initiatives

Certificates & initiatives

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Vegan products

We’re very proud that almost all of our Pure Goods are fully vegan! Almost all our products are fully free of any animal content. All vegan products are easily recognisable by reading the 'Certifications & Sustainability' info on the product page. From the beginning, Kuyichi has been opposed to using fur, which is why we're both on the Fur free retailer list and Bontvrijlijst. For more information on how we look at animal fibres and welfare, download our sustainability report at the top of this page.

FAIR WEAR FOUNDATION

Since the beginning of 2020, we're a member of the Fair Wear Foundation. Fair Wear is an international independent organisation that fights for better labour conditions in the fashion industry. Since the beginning of 2020, we are a proud Fair Wear member. Fair Wear works on the principles of their ‘Code of Labour Practice’ (their own code of conduct), based on 8 internationally agreed labour standards, such as no child labour and reasonable working hours. Fair wear has a lot of tools and (local) in-depth knowledge to help us do better. With their support, we will work relentlessly on improving working conditions.

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TRANSPARENCY PLEDGE
& OPEN APPAREL REGISTRY

With signing the Transparency Pledge last November we pledged to at least bi-annually publish on our site an updated supplier list, stating full name, address, parent company, type of products, and worker numbers. We’ve also uploaded this list to the Open Apparel Registry, an online database with all publicly available supply chain data. This database uses publicly available supplier lists or brands can upload their own. The goal is that the database sparks collaboration between brands and NGOs and between brands that share the same facility to improve the working conditions in these facilities.

Ethically made to last since 2001
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