Melbourne fashion designers Michelle Huang and Elle Castellani have led the creation of a world-first nylon fabric that is collagen-infused and made using fish scales.
From this, the duo have renamed their original founding label Butter Butter to Locionne, and have introduced a new activewear collection called Genesis that uses the new fabric.
The fabric is made via a process that bonds textile material with amino acids, creating a fabric that is naturally cooling, deodorising, and antimicrobial. The activewear can be worn three days in a row without washing, according to Huang and Castellani, and it retains skin moisture and passes skin sensitivity tests.
Speaking on the name change, Castellani said an impending court case was the key catalyst for the name change.
"Butter Goods, a skate brand from Perth, served us a cease-and-desist notice due to our shared name,” Castellani said. “We had a 'leg to stand on' legally and a robust case.
"However, as entrepreneurs, we were faced with a pivotal decision, the 'ego decision' that would tie us up for 12 months with lawyers versus the 'business decision’ of moving ahead unincumbered, and decided to change our name with the relaunch of this world first innovation.”
According to Huang, category buyers in London took a sample of its new fabric to every activewear boutique for comparison - including Lululemon, Sweat Betty and Fabletics.
“Locionne beat all competitors for softness including 'LuluLemon Aligns,' which currently holds the mantle as the softest fabric in the world,” Huang said.
“We now have the creamiest, softest leggings in the world, but that does not undercut its level of support and 'sporty' features such as breathability, moisture adsorption, 8-way stretch, shape retention, and sculpting capabilities.
“Our composition has been fine-tuned for over a year, to reach the perfect GSM (thickness level), spandex content (support level), and panelling process to provide sculpting where needed.
“Our fibres are 'long-chain' polyamides, which means they are three times more durable and flexible than traditional nylon. We do genuinely believe we now have a product that cannot be competed with in terms of both feel, technology, and functionality.”
With the arrival of the Genesis collection, Locionne is preparing for further global expansion in the United Kingdom and the United States, including owned retail stores.
Castellani and Huang said tactility is expected to further drive sales, adding the journey ahead includes establishing stock in UK retailers and collaborative pop-ups in cities such as Toronto, Los Angeles, and New York City.