Innovation of the Week is a series highlighting retail initiatives that have caught the eye of our team. Every week, we bring you new ideas and case studies across consumer, technology, sustainability, economy, policy and industry.
What is it?
Under Armour-owned zero-plastic regenerative fashion brand Unless Collective has unveiled its debut compostable sportswear collection as the two team up to lead the way within sustainable fashion.
Sportswear giant Under Armour acquired Unless Collective last August and this week showcased its debut collection, which has been designed to decompose rather than pollute, at Milan Design Week.
Leaning away from the traditional production cycle, the Unless Collective pieces use plant-based, fully regenerative materials and are designed to decompose entirely rather than pollute at the end of their life cycle.
Unless Collective founder Eric Liedtke says 70% of clothing generally is created from “petroleum-based feedstock” which never completely vanishes or breaks down, however, the new Unless pieces break down and can even be buried in a garden to compost away. In an industrial composter, Unless pieces are expected to decompose within weeks.
The capsule collection is unisex and offers a range of hoodies, T-shirts and shorts priced between $30 (£23) and $160 (£122).
The brands are disrupting the sustainable fashion space, showing what the future of sportswear can be if adopted in mass.
Why does it matter?
With the global fashion industry relying heavily on plastic which contributes to waste and environmental pollution, Under Armour and Unless Collective have demonstrated an advancement in how products are created and how they break down to reduce this impact.
Under Armour brand president and founder of Unless Collective Eric Liedtke told Retail Week this is “revolutionary” for the industry and that if the same things are happening within the automotive market and within plant-based proteins and food, there is no reason fashion cannot find solutions and follow suit.
At Milan Design Week, Unless Collective showcased soil actively decomposing plant-powered products from its collection and in real time explained the circular cycle that takes a plant and makes it into sportswear then can compost and be reborn.
Liedtke says it’s all about ensuring customers understand the process and its importance for the future, something he believes many want to find solutions for within fashion.
“We have to win the consumer—you win the consumer by building great product, telling great stories and having the right distribution. When you do that you create consumer advocacy, and once we build that up the rest of the industry will follow,” he said.
“So we want to plant a flag in owning regenerative fashion, telling the world we are coming and getting everybody to understand that and changing the industry from oil-based to plant-based. That’s my dream.”
Strategic implications
Under Armour’s strategic acquisition of Unless Collective allows Unless to showcase its collection and innovations on a global scale.
The brands are targeting customers who “care about fashion and the planet’s future”, something which has become an increasingly hot topic, especially among Gen Z shoppers. With Under Armour’s senior vice president and managing director of the EMEA business Kevin Ross telling Retail Week that the brand is now targeting a younger demographic of shoppers aged between 16 and 24, it makes sense as to why the regenerative sportswear collection is a fit for the product offering.
As the world’s first all-plant, zero-plastic regenerative fashion brand, Unless Collective could be set to make history as a leader in the space.
Winning strategies
- Sustainability and circularity initiative
- Focus on innovation
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