Global sportswear brand Champion has teamed up with two Australian enterprises to launch a new circular capsule collection called Reborn.
The two enterprises, HoMie and BETA By STH BNK’s Future From Waste Lab, will hero 50 unique pieces for the collaboration, including genderless hoodies and tees, developed by repurposing excess and faulty garments from Champion. Flawed or unsold items from Champion’s production are hand-cut, sewn, and altered at BETA’s Future From Waste Lab, based in Southbank, Victoria.
The Future From Waste Lab is part of the BETA By STH BNK project within Melbourne’s Hanover House: a facility that explores the future of retail space, programming and new business models that reimagine a sustainable future. The concept was created by sustainable fashion designer Kit Willow, where pieces are washed, unpicked, recut, redesigned, modelled, photographed, uploaded to e-commerce, sold, packaged and shipped.
REBORN by HoMie’s mission is to drive sustainable and circular discourse within the retail fashion industry. According to HoMie, one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or incinerated every second, with the fashion industry alone producing over 92 million tonnes of waste per year. REBORN has reportedly upcycled 830kg of waste materials into 2,190 unique one-off garments to date.
The trio collaboration capsule also features NFC tags with digital technology that allows consumers to scan and view a mini documentary about the positive social and environmental impact of the collaboration.
HoMie co-founder Marcus Crook said the NFC tags will elevate the offering.
“Consumers can scan the NFC tag, leading them to a short video produced by HoMie Creative, focused on our journey to reduce textile waste,” Crook explained. “The tags allow us to clearly communicate our mission with an extra layer of storytelling, providing a special experience only the wearer can access.”
The joint venture forms part of a longstanding partnership between the brands. Champion continues to offer financial support and expertise to the HoMie alongside job opportunities for those in the HoMie Pathway Alliance program. The program equips young people affected by homelessness or hardship with skills, confidence and work experience to improve their future.
“The new REBORN collection is a great example of how innovation and positive impact can be driven through collaboration,” Champion ANZ marketing manager Sheleen Jegasothy said. “We’re extremely proud of this project and it has been incredible to see our partnership with HoMie grow over the years.
“In 2022 alone, we have been honoured to provide over 800 hours of paid employment to Pathway Alliance interns, with two of our 2021 graduates continuing to work as casual employees in our stores.”
The limited-edition range is available online only at HoMie.