At the launch of the collection, where sustainable and cyclical concepts came to the fore, Fatih KESİM, Member of the Board of Maritaş Denim, emphasized the importance of meeting with business partners for the design processes of the products for the future of the industry and stated that the transformation can only be possible with simultaneous developments in the fields of fabric, apparel and washing.
At the launch of Maritaş Denim, a collaboration collection with Cross Tekstil, one of Turkey's most important denim garment manufacturers, was extremely striking.
Bülent UĞURLU, Design and Product Development Manager of Cross Tekstil, and his team prepared a creation with a group selected from Maritaş Denim AW23/24 fabrics. Answering Banu YENİCİ's questions about the project at the launch, Bülent UĞURLU said, "On behalf of myself and my team, I would like to thank Maritaş Denim. When they came to us with such a project, we were very excited to enter a design process from all model details to washing. After the Covid-19 epidemic, everyone started talking about sustainability, but for some, the definition of sustainability remained just a number or a trend. As Cross Tekstil, we make very serious investments in sustainability. While preparing Maritaş Denim collection, “How should we design sustainable and circular products in every aspect?” “How should we highlight our talents and differences?” One of these groups is formed in accordance with the principles of Ellen MacArthur, in which we care about circularity beyond sustainability; while the other is the LCA (LIFE CYCLE ASSESMENT) group, in which we calculate the product’s life cycle and document all the effects of the product in presentation format. While preparing these two design groups, we paid attention to all details, from the button to the sewing and label. The aim of the collection was to combine Maritaş Denim fabrics with new period concepts with the excellent design and washing techniques of Cross Tekstil. Ellen MacArthur draws attention not only to the washing technique and design of the product, but also to the fabric content and raw material source. Maritaş Denim fabrics that make up the collection consist of natural fibers and contain a maximum of two percent synthetic. In order to achieve the integrity of the collection, the designs included in the project were prepared in accordance with the Ellen MacArthur Statement. Instead of metal accessories like rivet, we used bartack stitches and made embroidery games. Instead of leather labels, we embroidered by hand. Most importantly, we have included the standard edition of Ellen MacArthur, which contains a lot of information in our pocket details. All buttons in the collection are designed as removable. After using the product for many years, you can remove the buttons with a screwdriver and directly recycle it.
Q. How did you reflect Maritaş Denim's sustainable denim concepts to your designs in this project?
A. Cross Tekstil Officer Mr. Bülent UĞURLU: As Cross Tekstil, we stand out with our washing techniques. We did not use pumice stone and potassium permanganate while designing the collection. Both of these are very dangerous for nature. Especially potassium permanganate causes the death of sea creatures in waste water. Instead, we use some organic bleaches, laser techniques and ozone technologies. Another issue we attach importance to is the life cycle evaluation of the product. What I can say about the LCA “Life Cycle Assessment” is that we make a calculation covering every step from the cradle to the grave and report the result. Thanks to this report, you can see the carbon footprint of the product and all its effects.
Q. Can you give some information about “Life Cycle Assessment”?
A. Cross Tekstil Officer Mr. Bülent UĞURLU: LCA, in other words, Life Cycle Assessment is a calculation method. All the effects of the product; is a process where we calculate how much water and energy is consumed, up to the carbon footprint of the product. This is really a great innovation. As Cross Tekstil, we spend a minimum of water and energy in washing and adopt to environmentally friendly techniques. The preferred mode of transportation is also very important while shipping the end-product to the final consumer. When doing a Life Cycle Assessment, we calculate everything from the box to the label we use for the product. This is really far beyond sustainability in everyone's perception.
Q. The word sustainability is widely used in the market. What are your thoughts on this?
A. Cross Tekstil Officer Mr. Bülent UĞURLU: Frankly, the word sustainability has started to bother me. We base all of our calculations on sustainability. But the topics which excite me the most are: foundation projects like Ellen MacArthur or LCA. I don't find it truthful to focus only on odd words or to follow things because they are on trend. This project we came up with has given us more excitement as it is a demonstration of a collaborative work highlighting the possibility of creating real values with the meeting of industry players each other as a joint work.
