Is it possible to manufacture non toxic apparel products, avoiding wasted resources and endless transport distances…and possibly make them compostable so that at the end of their life they can biodegrade?
According to the Freitag brothers the answer is: Yes. Markus and Daniel Freitag, creators of the eponymous brand well known for giving new life to truck tarpaulins turning them into bags, have launched F-abric, a new biodegradable textile, produced in Europe from natural fibers.
Freitag brothers were looking for sustainable workwear for they employees, who treat the dirty truck tarps, washing them with rainwater collected from the factory roof, and then cut them into one-of a-kind bags. Nothing seemed to fit the bill, so they decided to develop a new textile concept on their own. After 5 years of hard tests and researches they came out with a range of t-shirts, dresses and pants, now available for any Freitag fan.
They all are based on F-abric, which is made of linen and hemp fibers, mixed with Modal, all natural resources grown in Europe, which Freitag sources mainly from France. Fibers are then processed to fabric in Italy, and sewn in Poland: a complex process, but which takes place within 2500 kilometers from Freitag factory in Zurich. 100% of the items are biodegradable, so that they can be disposed in the compost pile, except for the metal buttons, which are unscrewable – and possibly reusable.
So, the new Freitag apparel range featuring the fabric of the future, made from forgotten plant fibers, is now available in selected stores, and was presented at Bread and Butter Berlin in January: Workpant, Workdress, T-shirt, Long sleeves, and Concept Bag are the names of the items, retailed from euro 65 (t-shirt) to 190 (workpants), with a top of euro 240 for the Concept Bag.
Freitag brothers and their partners feature “The Road to F-abric” video, which traces the journey from raw materials to finished products, and made together with photographer Lukas Wassmann.
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