Sustainable garment tech hub to open in Miami

Jeanologia is opening an innovation hub in Miami to support and house its sustainable garment finishing software and technology, according to a Monday press release sent to Fashion Dive.

The hub will offer access to the company’s Atmos process, which uses ozone under atmospheric conditions to age garments without water, chemicals and other contaminants, per the company. The hub also will feature its H2Zero water treatment system, which uses a chemical-free process to prepare the water used in washing finished garments.

In addition, the hub will offer production and design tools including software for virtual jeans creation and a tool for measuring and monitoring the environmental impact of garment finishing efficiently and cost effectively, per Jeanologia.

The hub will allow designers and brands to see firsthand “the potential of technological solutions that enable sustainable garment finishing,” the company said in its release. It further said the hub marks a step toward “a sustainable revolution in the textile industry.”

Jeanologia, which was founded in Spain in 1994, has seven other hubs located in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Turkey, Brazil, India, Bangladesh and Mexico. 

The addition of the Miami hub strengthens Jeanologia’s commitment to the U.S. market and drives textile innovation in the region, per the release.

The company anticipates that 10% of textile production will return to the U.S. within the next five years, while 30% will move to other markets, including Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Peru.

There are various U.S. initiatives that look to strengthen the textile and apparel trade partnerships with Central and South America, including the Americas Act, which partially aims to re-shore and near-shore the textile and apparel industry from China.

“This project not only provides technological support for on-shoring and near-shoring relocation but also becomes an inspiration center to boost the creativity of the new generation of American digital designers,” Jeanologia CEO Enrique Silla said in the release.

Jeanologia also makes a laser denim finishing technology that looks to eliminate the use of harmful substances, and the ColorBox tech, which reduces the environmental impact of the garment dyeing process.