056 WHAT'S THE STORY SUSTAINABILITY
Coffee Grounds with New Life Ecoalf, the label of Spanish businessman Javier Goyenche, has only been on the market for a few years, but its innovative approach has already earned it many admirers. Used fishing nets, coffee grounds, and old tyres are used as starting materials for the creation of a fashionable upcycling collection. Celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow love the idea. Text: Ina Köhler. Photos: Ecoalf
By integrating breakthrough technology, we aimed to create clothing and accessories that are made entirely from recycled materials. However, we didn’t want the items to look as if they were recycled.
What is the story behind your label’s name?
The inspiration for the name Ecoalf came from the initials of my son, Alfredo. Ecoalf symbolises my vision of fabrics and products for future generations.
Tras(h)umanity, the manifesto on your website, highlights the importance of new technologies. How important is this aspect for your company?
When was Ecoalf founded? What was the idea behind it?
Javier Goyenche believes in sustainability in fashion. His company Ecoalf bears the name of his son, Alfredo.
414 style in progress
Ecoalf was founded in 2009. The idea was to create a fashion brand that is truly sustainable. The concept was born on the back of my frustration with the excessive use of the world’s natural resources and the amount of waste produced by industrialised countries. It appeared to me that the way to tackle these issues is to stop using our planet’s resources in a careless way (all studies show that we are presently using five times more natural resources than the planet is able to compensate). Therefore, recycling could be the solution. When we scanned the market for recycled materials, the main problem was that the choice was limited and of very poor quality. Furthermore, most fabrics merely contained a very low percentage of recycled material (15 to 20 percent). I therefore realised the need to strike partnerships with factories in order to develop suitable fabrics, lining, straps, labels, and cords made of recycled materials. By heavily investing in Research & Design (R&D) and travelling around the globe to identify the ideal manufacturing resources, we carefully built the foundation for Ecoalf.
Technology and R&D is essential for a company like Ecoalf. We currently have eleven active alliances throughout the world (Taiwan, Korea, Portugal, Mexico, Spain, etc.), which allows us to continually develop all aspects that are necessary to successfully utilise recycled materials in the manufacturing process. Discarded fishing nets, used plastic bottles, worn-out tyres, post-industrial cotton, and even coffee grounds can be turned into outerwear, swimsuits, sneakers, and accessories. We can only achieve the textures we want by using highly sophisticated and innovative processes. What is the most innovative technology you are working with?
I’d say the technology we are currently developing to transform PET from the oceans into high-quality yarn. PET that has been in the ocean for many years is very unstable due to the exposure to salt, water, sunlight, etc. Just imagine, it takes 600 years for a plastic bottle to decompose in the ocean… From where do you get your materials such as fishing nets, coffee grounds for the fabrics, and tyres?
We have contracts with various companies. For example, SIGNUS Line recycles 90% of the worn-out tyres in Spain. We obtain discarded fishing nets
