The Lycra Company’s CEO, Gary Smith is a speaker at the Global Fashion Summit which takes place in Copenhagen from June 3-5. He will be joined on stage by Jon Veldhouse, CEO of Qore, the maker of Qira, a next-generation BDO and a key ingredient in bio-derived Lycra fibre which is launching later this year.
Smith and Veldhouse will discuss the development of this sustainable fibre made from annually renewable field corn during their Fireside Chat, From Farm to Fashion. The session takes place on Wednesday, June 4, at 3:35 CEST in the DR Concert Hall. The discussion will be moderated by Amy Nguyen, a researcher, writer, and founder of Sustainable & Social.
This is the first time both companies are participating in the Global Fashion Summit, a premier platform focused on sustainability in the fashion industry. The companies have a prominent exhibit space for attendees to learn more about bio-derived Lycra fibre made with Qira, where visitors can be transported to the Qore site and cornfields in Iowa through a virtual reality experience.
Bio-derived Lycra EcoMade fibre will be the world’s first large-scale, commercially available renewable elastane. It delivers equivalent performance to the original Lycra fibre and serves as a one-to-one replacement with no re-engineering of fabrics, processes, or garment patterns required. The product contains 70% renewable content and can potentially reduce the carbon footprint of Lycra fibre by up to 44%. The Lycra Company holds patents related to this renewable fibre in several regions including Europe.
“We’re proud to join the Global Fashion Summit for the first time and showcase how collaboration can accelerate a more sustainable future for fashion,” said Gary Smith, CEO of The Lycra Company. “Partnering with Qore has enabled us to scale innovation that is renewable and ready to meet the demands of global fashion brands striving to meet their sustainability goals.”
The newly constructed Qore site in Eddyville, Iowa, began operating last month and has started producing Qira. The company will host a grand opening celebration in July.
“Starting production at our new state-of-the-art facility marks a major step forward, not just for Qore, but for the entire industry,” said Jon Veldhouse. “With Qira now being made in Iowa from annually renewable field corn, we’re turning sustainable innovation into reality and helping our partners bring next-generation materials to market.”
