Taiwan-based Story Wear recognizes that fashion sits at the intersection of environmentalism and social responsibility, with the power to provide multipurpose solutions. Alarmed that almost 72,000 tons of clothing are being thrown away each year in Taiwan, Story Wear was founded to remedy the unsustainable habits ingrained in the domestic textile and fashion industry.

The textile and fashion industry is the second-largest producer of carbon pollution globally, second only to the oil industry. Through offering zero waste fashion by upcycling jeans and used fabrics, Story Wear is setting out to become a pillar in changing the fashion landscape in Taiwan and hoping to inspire the entire industry to contribute to a more sustainable planet.

This year, Story Wear unveiled its Spring/Summer 2022 collection at Taipei Fashion Week and London Fashion Week. Inspired by the oceanic sceneries captured by documentary film director Chi Po Lin, the collection is aptly themed “Atoms and Coasts” to convey the inextricably entwined relationship between human beings and the environment. Sourcing recycled fabrics, jeans and dead stock, Story Wear worked closely with the TENCEL™ brand in Taiwan to craft the showpieces. The TENCEL™ brand was a natural choice for Story Wear due to their similar mission to educate consumers on living more sustainably. Encompassing a total of thirty-three pieces, each clothing item was handsewn to elicit the beauty of the ocean contrasted with environmental destruction, and demonstrate appreciation for fashion craftsmanship as a concept of environmental protection. The collection is now available to the wider market.

“For us, choosing TENCEL™ is a social responsibility,” said Kuan Chen, Founder of Story Wear. “We want to promote the TENCEL™ brand in Taiwan and showcase their moral cause. Using TENCEL™ branded fibers is not only a benefit for us but also the environment.”

No new fabrics were created for the collection, instead, they used TENCEL™ branded lyocell fibers along with materials from Levi’s to complete the collection. Produced in a close-looped system, TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are biodegradable with properties of high durability, efficient moisture management and a gentle touch to the skin. With this collaboration, Story Wear hopes to advocate to the wider industry the Cradle-to-Cradle design concept, which sees waste as an everlasting resource, and companies should implement this from the beginning of the product life cycle.

In addition to its commitment to upcycling, Story Wear places heavy emphasis on generating social impact, specifically providing opportunities for unemployed and underemployed women in Taiwan. Each piece from the collection was made by socially disadvantaged women. With sustainable fashion being a burgeoning market in Taiwan, and across Asia, Story Wear wishes to continue this collaboration to bring forth its sustainability agenda globally. Together with the TENCEL™ brand, the partnership could be expanded cross-markets to not only educate consumers on eco-friendly fashion, but also provide solutions to green up the industry supply chain.

The TENCEL™ brand is dedicated to partnering for change, and the work with Story Wear is another milestone in the brand’s mission to bring sustainable solutions for the textile and fashion industry across the international landscape.

You can shop the full collection here: www.story-wear.com