Prada has announced that it is extending its approach to circularity beyond recycled nylon with the launch of Re-Cashmere and Re-Wool, two projects focused on giving pre-consumer natural-fibre waste a second life.
Following the development of Re-Nylon, which uses recycled pre- and post-consumer nylon waste, the new initiatives address two of fashion’s most established materials: cashmere and wool. Both begin with materials generated during production, including offcuts, spinning residues and cutting-room remnants, which are collected, sorted and processed into secondary raw materials for use in new garments.
The projects form part of the Prada Group’s wider environmental roadmap, established in 2023 to transition its principal raw materials towards lower-impact alternatives. Traceability is a key component of the approach. Like Re-Nylon, garments in the Re-Cashmere and Re-Wool collections feature an NFC tag providing access to the Aura Consortium platform, where customers can follow information about the fibres, suppliers, processing countries and subsequent stages of production. Each garment also carries a Digital Certificate of Authenticity secured through blockchain technology.
Re-Cashmere uses fine residues from the spinning process and cashmere offcuts, including material collected at the Prada Group’s Torgiano facility in Umbria. The fragments are sorted by colour, removing the need for subsequent dyeing, before being carded and refined into new yarn. The process takes place entirely in Italy. The original cashmere is certified by the Sustainable Fibre Alliance, while the resulting recycled yarn is certified to the Global Recycled Standard. The material is used for men’s and women’s 100 per cent recycled cashmere sweaters.
Re-Wool takes a different approach, combining wool and cashmere offcuts, defective fabrics and cutting-room remnants from across the Prada Group. Its yarn consists of 50 per cent virgin wool certified to the Responsible Wool Standard, 40 per cent recycled wool and 10 per cent recycled cashmere, with the recycled fibres certified to the Global Recycled Standard. Materials are separated from non-wool components, sorted by colour and processed through wet shredding before being carded and spun into new yarn.
The resulting Re-Wool collection includes women’s trousers, jackets, skirts and dresses, while both collections focus on understated, versatile silhouettes designed for layering.
Produced entirely in Tuscany and Umbria, the garments are made through a network of specialised suppliers. Because production depends on the materials available, quantities are inherently limited and colours may not be precisely replicated.
According to Prada, recycled animal fibres can reduce emissions by 75 per cent compared with virgin fibres. The figure is based on general industry data from Ecoinvent v3.12 and does not represent a product-specific life-cycle assessment.
