Chanel branches out into materials recycling

Chanel has launched a subsidiary dedicated to recycling fashion materials at scale and commercialising the resulting products, called Nevold.

Nevold – short for ‘never old’, is described as “an independent entity dedicated to the circularity challenges of the main natural textile and leather materials [that] brings together an ecosystem of start-ups and companies offering operational solutions in this field”.

It will operate as a business-to-business platform scaling up the development of circular materials for the fashion sector – positioning luxury brand Chanel as a leader in this area.

“Transformative sustainable change requires long-term investment, creative collaboration and innovation,” Chanel’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Wylie said upon launching Nevold. 

Two circular solutions already underway

She added that Nevold is already working on two solutions that have been “years in the making”: a thread blended from end-of-life materials and virgin materials, and a recycled leather to create reinforcements inside bags and shoes. In total, 30% of Chanel handbags and 50% Chanel shoes already feature the recycled leather reinforcements.

“Circular materials and circular solutions are critical for a sustainable future and we want to be part of the solution,” Wylie said.

Nevold leadership

Nevold is led by Sophie Brocart, who joined Chanel’s recycling entity in January 2025 after 12 years in senior executive positions at luxury group LVMH.

But the organisation is “open to all players in the textile and leather industries”, including established companies and startups. For now, three Chanel partners specialising in materials recycling and circularity have joined the initiative: L'Atelier des Matières (another Chanel spinoff launched in 2022), Filatures du Parc, and Authentic Material.

Fashion sector’s circularity efforts

In their sustainable transformation, circularity is by far the area to which fashion brands are giving the most attention, with industry-led initiatives and bilateral purchase agreements with recycled materials startups.

FTSE 250 thread manufacturer Coats saw revenue from its 100% recycled products rise by 144% to US$405 million last year.

But these efforts are yet to translate into real circularity and emissions reduction gains, with less than 1% of fibres used in apparel manufacturing in 2023 coming from post-industrial and post-use recycled textiles.

Read also: From big promises to disillusion – Taking stock of fashion’s sustainable transformation