Pursuing a fully sustainable lifestyle is not always easy and more eco friendly clothing options than those proposed by the fast fashion industry are becoming more necessary than ever. This can be achieved with a production cycle based on a Circular Economy model and upcycling is a big step forward in this direction.

Upcycling is a neologism that keeps together two concepts that not always go hand-in-hand: first, the idea of  recycling; and, second, the idea of improvement and quality (even though you are using discarded materials), thus the prefix “up”.In a Circular Economy the aim is to create less waste by making the most out of every possible material and fabric involved in the production process. In Max Mara’s case, discarded camelhair fabrics are upcycled from our legendary coats (and not only) in order to create a warm insulation. This pad is capable of maintaining the same properties of virgin materials, without requiring additional consumption.

Our particular form of insulation is named CameLuxe. CameLuxe is created in three steps; first, recovered materials are gathered and sorted from our manufacturers in
Italy; secondly, they are transformed through a mechanic process into very fine fibres. Lastly, the fibres are blended with recycled polyester, creating a high performing insulating mix, ready to be processed to create the pad.

This process, whose patent was filed, allowed us to create a product highly resilient, features extraordinary tensile and strength qualities and with consistent insulating capacity. Made through a process that is less impactful in terms of energy consumption, waste production, water usage, CO2 emissions, CameLuxe is a new frontier for ecologically-responsible fashion, giving new purpose to otherwise discarded precious materials. In September 2019 Max Mara received the CNMI in recognition for sustainability Award for the CameLuxe, at the occasion of the Green Carpet Fashion Awards.