Stella McCartney debuts world’s first fully recyclable hoodie for adidas

Prototype garments represent major progress within sustainable fashion

The 'Infinite Hoodie': designed to be worn and reused repeatedly (Dominic Thiem/Stella McCartney/adidas)

Stella McCartney has debuted the world’s first fully recyclable hoodie, one of two prototype products for her adidas collection.

The "Infinite Hoodie" is composed of 60 per cent NuCycl™ fibre, a material made using the threads from old garments, and 40 per cent organic cotton that has been diverted from landfills.

Made in partnership with textile innovations company Evrnu, the hoodie is designed to be reused and remade in the future.

In a statement, Stella McCartney says: “Fashion is one of the most harmful industries to the environment. We can’t wait any longer to search for answers and alternatives.

The pioneering Biofrabric Tennis Dress (Garbine Muguruza/Stella McCartney/adidas)

“By creating a truly open approach to solving the problem of textile waste, we can help empower the industry at large to bring more sustainable practices into reality.

“With adidas by Stella McCartney we’re creating high performance products that also safeguard the future of the planet.”

Fans of the company may struggle to get their hands on the design given that only 50 Infinite Hoodies have been manufactured to date.

The second design to have been recently unveiled was a prototype of the "Biofabric Tennis Dress".

Created in conjunction with Bolt Threads – a company specialising in bioengineered sustainable materials and fibres – the dress is made from cellulose blended yearn and Microsilk, a protein-based material made using renewable ingredients such as sugar, water and yeast, and has the ability to fully biodegrade at the end of its life.

The garments represent a giant step forward for environmentally sustainable clothing and the brand.

Sustainability has been integral to the McCartney brand, which refuses to use materials like leather, fur and PVC - something she described as “cancerous to the people who work with it, and then the residue runs into the rivers because the factories are built on rivers”.

The Stella McCartney "Infinite Hood" (Stella McCartney/adidas)

In a recent interview with The Guardian, the vegetarian activist, acknowledged that her ethical and environmental stance could make the design process harder.

Despite this, she insisted that it was her choice “and I believe very much in my reasons for working in that way”.

In May, the designer announced a collaboration with Google to help reduce the environmental footprint of the fashion industry.

The intention of the partnership is to give brands "a more comprehensive view into their supply chain" and estimate the environmental impact of specific items of clothing at the sourcing and design stage.

Speaking about the initiative, McCartney said: “At Stella McCartney, we have been continuously focusing on looking at responsible and sustainable ways to conduct ourselves in fashion, it is at the heart of what we do."