Textile brand Kvadrat has collaborated with designer Teruhiro Yanagihara to introduce Ame, its first recycled polyester textile made from fabric waste rather than the conventional use of plastic bottles. Kvadrat describes Ame as its first "textile-to-textile" recycled polyester, marking a significant step towards closing the loop in the textile lifecycle.

While Kvadrat already recycles textile waste into products like solid boards and acoustic panels and uses recycled bottles to create polyester textiles, Ame represents a new frontier. The brand employed chemical recycling to turn textile waste directly into new textile products, offering a promising yet debated alternative to mechanical recycling.

“To innovate, we must disrupt the way we source raw materials and create textiles,” said Lea Nordström, Kvadrat Innovation Lab manager. “Material diversity is key at Kvadrat, and while we work with various recycled raw materials, we believe the future is circular. Ame is our first yarn made from polyester textile waste.”

“Ame is a fresh innovation made entirely from textile-to-textile waste, tying beautifully to sashiko, an ancient mending technique about preserving fabric,” said Kvadrat design vice-president Stine Find Osther. This approach highlights the connection between sustainability and cultural heritage in modern textile design.