Chanel Invests In Green Start-Up On A Mission To Replace Synthetic Chemicals With Natural Alternatives

Chanel has taken a minority stake in Evolved by Nature, a green chemistry company that has created a natural silk-based alternative to some of the toxic chemicals used in textile manufacturing. The Boston-based start-up’s patented Activated Silk can reduce the pilling in cashmere and enhance the performance and longevity of nylon and polyester. Its mission is to “completely replace the need for many undisclosed synthetic chemicals”.

The move comes after Chanel published its first report on its environmental efforts and banned exotic skins, including crocodile, lizard, snake, stingray and fur, in 2018. The decision was down to the fact it was becoming increasingly difficult to source skins that met the house’s quality and ethical standards, and an increased industry-wide pressure on fashion to clean up its act. “We did it because it’s in the air,” Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel fashion and president of Chanel SAS, explained. But “it’s not an air people imposed on us. It’s a free choice.”

At the time, Pavlovsky said that Chanel would focus its environmental efforts on the research and development of materials and leathers generated by agri-food industries. “The future of high-end products will come from the know-how of what our atelier is able to do,” he noted. Last year, the brand invested in Finnish start-up Sulapac, a developer of a biodegradable alternative to plastic.

“There is tremendous interest across the board from almost every segment, from luxury to performance, to home goods,” Evolved by Nature CEO Greg Altman told Business of Fashion. The biomaterials company is hoping to capitalise on the trend for clean technology and commercialise its Activated Silk treatments for materials within the next twelve months.

As Chanel forges forward with Karl Lagerfeld’s right-hand woman, Virginie Viard, at the creative helm, the house will have to reconsider the impact of its fashion presentations in line with its greener outlook. A jewel on the show calendar, Chanel never held back on opulence or expense when realising Lagerfeld’s vision. The company’s last hurrah for the creative will be “Karl For Ever”, a memorial staged in the Grand Palais on the evening of June 20 during Paris Men’s Fashion Week.