Introducing Our New Seaweed Fabrics
COLLABORATIONS
KATLA X SXD
Created from a blend of seaweed and organic or upcycled cottons
Seaweed is often called the Amazon of the Seas, and for good reason. Seaweed is one of the world’s most regenerative materials and an extremely efficient carbon sink. In fact, marine organisms capture 55% of all carbon emissions - more than all of the world’s rainforests combined. Seagrass meadows store as much as 20 gigatonnes of carbon and 93% of the earth’s carbon dioxide is stored in the oceans. Coastal ecosystems sequester up to 20 times more carbon per acre than land forests. Furthermore, seaweed is a zero-input crop that requires no fresh water, no fertilizer, no feed and no arid land to grow. It also acts as a filter for carbon and nitrogen from the water.
Inspired by these strengths, Katla is harnessing the power of seaweed for clothing. Seaweed has many incredible properties as a sustainable material both for the environment and for health.
So, how do we source our seaweed?
The process begins with the sourcing of the seaweed, which is sustainably harvested in Iceland by the Icelandic company Thorungaverksmidjan. They offer the highest quality of dried and milled seaweed from the scarcely populated Breiðafjörður in western Iceland, including in the waters surrounding Sleepy Islands (Svefneyjar). The products are certified pure organic and they use geothermally heated pure ground water as a heat source for drying.
From there, the seaweed goes to Seacell in Germany. Seacell fiber is made of wholly renewable raw materials - from the base material to the active substances. Cellulose is the most common natural substance. It is extracted by the Lyocell process which is known to be considerably more environmentally friendly than the typical production process.
Our partner Pyratex
This seaweed fiber fabric is then manufactured by a textile supplier called Pyratex. Pyratex is on a mission to replace synthetic textiles with natural and more responsible options - a goal that Katla is fully on board with! We partnered with them to make two unique and beautiful seaweed-cotton blends. The finished product is beautiful eco-friendly loungewear.
Our seaweed blend sweatsuits are made from 34% GOTS-certified Organic Cotton, 34% Upcycled Cotton, and 32% Seacell. The Seacell in our fleece is entirely concentrated in the loops on the back of the fabric to magnify its antioxidant properties! Our Tees are 80% GOTS certified cotton and 20% Seacell. This produces a high-quality lightweight fabric that is luxuriously soft to touch. Pyratex develops responsible fabrics with natural, regenerative or recycled fibers and produces them locally. Their production chain is entirely traceable and allows us to ensure the lowest environmental impact.
What is Katla creating with the seaweed-cotton blend?
We are introducing both a Jersey fabric for t-shirts and super soft fleece for sweatsuits. We look forward to continuing to expand our seaweed product offering in the coming months.
New seaweed-cotton styles will complement our existing assortment of eco-friendly materials including vegan “silks”, recycled ocean plastics (Vita Power- a proprietary textile made of Econyl - a fiber derived from recycled fishnets from the ocean), and 100% organic cotton. Each of our garments is designed to be timeless and versatile - easy to wear from day to night and for a variety of occasions. Refer to the product pages for more specific details of the ingredient composition and quality materials of your item.
Seaweed has many environmental benefits,
but what does it do for health & wellness?
Not only are the environmental benefits of seaweed abundantly clear, but seaweed is also a powerhouse ingredient for health and wellness. Similarly to how seaweeds purify and maintain the ecological balance of the ocean, they also perform a similar purification process for the body. Seaweed is overflowing with vitamins such as vitamin A, B6, E, K and zinc, calcium, folate, potassium and iron. Seaweed is also one of the best sources of amino acids, potassium and iodine, boosting thyroid activity, metabolism and maintaining adrenal regulation and hormone balance. As if that weren’t enough, seaweed fabric is also famous for promoting sleep health as it is breathable, supports your body’s ability to absorb water and promotes nutrient exchange.
Health benefits for the skin
Seaweed is often cited as a superfood, but one of the lesser-known properties of seaweed is that these health benefits can be absorbed through the skin. Our skin is our largest organ and capable of absorbing nutrients from seaweed such as iodine, fibre, vitamins C, K, and B-12, antioxidants and other essential nutrients. Seaweed also has anti-inflammatory properties. Substances found in seaweed help to activate cell regeneration which can help relieve skin diseases, reduce inflammation and soothe itchiness. Interestingly, because of seaweed’s antibacterial properties, some people even make a case that seaweed fabrics can be washed less to avoid heavy laundry!
Just as many of us are careful about the kinds of foods and chemicals we put into our bodies, we should also take precautions with the kinds of products and chemical treatments we put on our skin. Rather than wearing textiles that may contain ingredients we do not want our skin to absorb, we should consider healthier sustainable alternatives (like seaweed!) to what’s currently in our wardrobes.
Seaweed: Product application
Today, seaweed has a wide array of product applications such as food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, bio-packaging and more. Many of these applications are sustainable low-carbon options made from seaweed particles. Seaweed may be one of the key ingredients to a lower carbon footprint for the fashion industry. We are excited to be one of the pioneers in seaweed innovation for the fashion industry by creating beautiful garments that can be cherished for many years.
So is seaweed a secret weapon to a sustainable future? We certainly think so. We’re so excited to share the magic of seaweed with you and take the fashion industry forward in exploring new innovative materials that promise us a better future. Sustainable fashion is here to stay and we are delighted that you are taking the next step to be a part of the movement.