Closing the Loop: How Kimonoir Turned Deadstock Denim into Circular Brand Identity

For Kimonoir, sustainability has never been limited to fabric selection alone. Every stage of production is considered through a circular lens — from sourcing to garment construction to waste reduction.

Yet one gap remained.

Despite using sustainable production methods, Kimonoir’s garment tags were still the only non-sustainable component within the brand’s manufacturing process. Finding an alternative that aligned with both environmental values and small-batch production realities had proven difficult. Existing sustainable options were either inaccessible, cost prohibitive, or incompatible with the brand’s aesthetic and production scale.

That challenge ultimately became the catalyst for a series of collaborative relationships rooted in a shared vision for circular fashion.

The collaboration began through the Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium (CCTC), where a brief introduction between Kimonoir and Core Fabrics quickly revealed a shared commitment to sustainability, material innovation, and systemic change within fashion production.

What started as a short connection call soon evolved into a road trip to Montreal, where conversations expanded beyond textiles and sourcing into larger questions about how collaboration could reshape the future of fashion manufacturing. Through shared values around circularity, waste reduction, and accessible sustainable production, the relationship developed into an active creative partnership.

As part of that collaboration, Core Fabrics provided Kimonoir with some incredible deadstock denim that would later become the foundation for an innovative circular production initiative spanning continents!

While traveling in the United Kingdom, Kimonoir founder Nicole Priatel connected with LaundRe — a sustainable denim innovation hub focused on textile circularity, repair, reuse, and material experimentation. After reaching out directly, Priatel was invited onsite 

The partnership quickly evolved into a practical circular manufacturing solution.

Using deadstock denim supplied by Core Fabrics, LaundRe laser processed and cut custom garment tags from Kimonoir’s original design files. Rather than applying additional inks or materials, the laser process selectively removed indigo dye from the denim surface to reveal the branding directly within the fabric itself.

The result transformed discarded material into functional brand assets while eliminating the need for virgin synthetic tags.

From only three metres of reclaimed denim, the collaboration produced over 700 upcycled garment tags, significantly extending the usable life of a textile waste stream that may otherwise have remained unused.

The success of the first production run immediately opened additional opportunities for circular innovation. Following the initial results, Kimonoir expanded the project to include custom laser-processed numbering tags designed to support future garment traceability and limited-edition production systems.

More than a trim solution, the project demonstrates how circular fashion systems can emerge through collaboration across material suppliers, innovation hubs, and independent designers.

By connecting Canadian deadstock resources with UK-based circular manufacturing expertise, Kimonoir, Core Fabrics, and LaundRe created a small-scale but meaningful example of distributed sustainable production — one where waste materials become identity, functionality, and long-term brand infrastructure.

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Kimonoir is a Canadian circular fashion brand focused on sustainable textile innovation, small-batch production, and material-conscious garment design. Through upcycling, collaborative manufacturing, and systems-based sustainability practices, Kimonoir explores how fashion can move beyond linear production models toward regenerative and circular futures.

Core Fabrics is a Canadian sustainable fabric supplier specializing in eco-conscious textiles, deadstock materials, and educational resources for responsible fashion production. As a partner within the Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium (CCTC), CORE Fabrics supports material accessibility and circular design initiatives across the textile industry.

LaundRe is a UK-based sustainable denim innovation hub focused on circular textile systems, repair, reuse, and advanced denim processing techniques. Through collaborative experimentation and sustainable manufacturing practices, LaundRe works to extend textile lifecycles and support more responsible fashion production models.