What’s it all about?

Distributed local textile circularity.

Make Nothing New.

Humans have extracted enough natural resources from the planet to make everything we need. The challenge is to activate the pathways to transform existing resources into new forms, so that they can continue to function to their highest and best use. Yes, repair, resell, repurpose, but when those are no longer functional, Ravel.

Now and for the future.

This is not just a now problem. Today, XX million pounds of textile waste is going to landfill every year. This is absurd. But it’s also a future problem. Global clothing production is expected to increase by 43% over the next 7 years. There are not enough raw materials out there right now to service this demand based on our current systems. We must build our own future.

The True Cost.

While many items end up in our hands at absurdly cheap prices, the true cost of a living wage, of safe materials, of responsible production, is lost in a totally opaque global fashion system that is built to reward and benefit a few, with complete disregard for the many. Reckoning is upon us, when we can no longer ignore the injustice we are blindly serving to our fellow humans and our planet.

Transparency. Authenticity.

Take a quick inventory of what we are wearing as we read this. Who made our clothing? Where did the materials come from? How can we be certain? Who gains by the lack of uncertainty? There is a place in the world for best intentions, and we hope that we can offer visibility not only to successes, but how to improve.

A Global Systemic Challenge.

The apparel supply chain is large and complex. It’s not particularly complicated. Actually, in many cases, it hasn’t changed much in the last few decades, for the most part. We believe this to be a huge opportunity. And we and our partners (existing, and future…) can be part of a systems level change for the better.

Local Solutions.

While clothing is worn worldwide, the last place it is worn is exactly that, a last place. Our aim is to offer local, concentrated solutions for transformation. In our community, in your community, in communities around the world. A distributed local network solution to a massive, global problem. One that serves and benefits people at a local level.

2008-2019 - Karim, Lisa, Zahlen, Kristen, and Ruth are all working independently on and at companies with a focus on materials, sustainability, and resource efficiency.

2019 - The core team comes together and say “enough is enough”. Ravel (then Regenerated Textiles) is born, and with it the core technology around solving the blended textile waste challenge. “Diverting clothing waste from landfills” is our rallying cry.

2020 - IP is validated, and testing and optimization work begins on recovery of polyester, cotton (cellulosics), and other materials in blended fiber textile waste.

2020-2022 - Ravel participates in (and wins a few!) some incredible accelerators and incubators, and moves twice (!) to grow into larger spaces for continued succcess on the technology.

2022 - Ravel, with support from National Science Foundation, strengthens the efficacy and reach of our proprietary technologies. In addition, we launch into a Seattle area pilot program with King County to transform landfill bound textile waste into brand new socks to donate to regional houseless populations.