Pangaia and NFW introduces new plant-based and plastic-free material

Materials science company Pangaia and Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) has unveiled the world’s first commercially available apparel made from Mirum, a new, plant-based and plastic-free material designed to be a solution for footwear, fashion, automotive, accessories, and upholstery.

The latest innovation released through Pangaia Lab is an air gilet, which combines Pangaia’s organic cotton, signature fleece lining and its Flwrdwn filling made using a combination of wildflowers, a biopolymer and cellulose aerogel, with an exterior made from a newly reformulated and thinner leather-like version of Mirum.

Commenting on the collaboration, Luke Haverhals, founder and chief executive at NFW, said in a statement: “The fashion industry is at a crucial inflection point and brands must move beyond their unnecessary reliance on toxic materials that harm our bodies and our planet. At NFW we have an entire ecosystem of plastic-free, readily scalable material solutions across textiles, sheet goods, moulded composites, and foams that usher in new possibilities for brands that want to make meaningful change.

“We’re incredibly excited to work with a brand that shares our mission like Pangaia, and to bring consumers the world’s first commercially available ready-to-wear piece that incorporates Mirum, our breakthrough material that is fully circular in nature."

NFW’s Mirum has been designed to be both 100 percent recyclable and 100 percent circular in nature and because it does not contain any petrochemicals or plastics, Mirum can return its nutrients to the earth safely at the end of its life when the sole material is disposed of in the correct waste stream.

Dr. Amanda Parkes, chief innovation officer at Pangaia, added: “Our latest collaboration with NFW, embodies the future of sustainable fashion practices by developing garments which combine breakthrough material innovations.

“We are thinking holistically about fabrication to enable a next generation modality for transformation- from ingredients to processes to end of life of a garment. As always, NFW continues to be an ideal partner committed to this mission, working to bring to reality our shared vision of a petri-chemical free fashion industry.”

The Pangaia air gilet is available now for 625 pounds.