A hub for positive denim
A London-based centre for refinishing, education and collaboration, LaundRe is opening its doors in Canning Town.
“It’s been like having the brakes on for years and all of a sudden we're an F1 car,” says LaundRe co-founder Salli Deighton, describing the progress at its new-found home – an expansive warehouse in Canning Town, east London; five minutes from the nearest tube station and 10 minutes from London City Airport. After years of planning and fundraising, the project is getting ready to start welcoming its first visitors. “I’m finally delivering the vision we have seen – and stressing over pipe size, flanges and media is making me very happy!”
The ambitious initiative – to bring a laundry R&D and refinishing centre to the UK – was inspired by Salli’s conversations with retailers desperate to find avenues for warehouses full of unsold stock during the pandemic. Although exacerbated by store closures, this highlighted a wider problem of unsustainable buying practices, she says – for instance where mid-range or small retailers buy to meet minimum order quantities but then only sell a portion.
One of the beauties of denim is that it can be changed: rewashed, finished or lasered, creating different options and opportunities for newness. Keeping volumes at under 500 pieces, LaundRe will enable UK brands to be nimble and respond to best sellers quickly. “Rather than buying lots of stock you don’t need, bring it in raw, test and trial it with us,” says Salli. “We’re giving brands the opportunity to be more responsible. Unless a buyer is senior, they might not have had the chance to visit overseas laundries, and some might be nervous to admit they don’t know the chemistry and processing behind denim distressing and finishing. Retail teams can come in, learn and develop their collections.” If something sells well, LaundRe will share the recipes with suppliers to make bigger volumes.
As with many start-ups, convincing people of the vision and securing the funding was a challenge initially, but the target was met last autumn. Salli and finance director Kelly Farewell secured backers including a grant from Creative England and some private investment. The business model is multipronged – LaundRe also aims to become a valuable partner in the UK’s nascent circular textiles infrastructure, which pulls together collectors, sorters and recyclers. Various pilots are under way, including those linked with UK Fashion and Textiles Association-driven consortia of circular fashion experts. “If we can make these old garments new, it’s the cheapest and fastest circular route to market,” says Salli. LaundRe’s location close to a major clothing sorter is no coincidence, with stakeholders excited to see how they can work together to make used garments sellable again.
At Kingpins Amsterdam in April 2024, the team showed results of a pilot that refinished and refurbished dirty thrown-away jeans with a “really good hit rate”. Salli comments that the support from the show’s team and its visitors has been “phenomenal”. “A lot of the premium brands asked if we can refinish old stock or customer returns, so that will be another pilot,” she adds.
Cutting-edge tech
The facility will feature Jeanologia technology, including laser and two R&D units, plus ozone, low water washers with nebulising systems and the latest eco dryer. It will only use clean processes and chemicals, following a model in Italy. “We won’t be able to garment dye, so we will have some limitations, but we have plenty of technology. The younger brands are embracing technology in a different way.”
Another strand of the business will be to teach new designers to approach garment creation holistically – for instance, by knowing more about sustainable fibres and dyes, they can order fabrics that are easier to finish. This skill isn’t widely taught. “If the fabric is a challenge, it will cost more to process it, but if it’s laser friendly, we can get a better level of detail, so it’s about teaching these concepts at the start of the process. We want to build the knowledge so we can educate the next generation to be more responsible buyers.”
The site will also enable mills or suppliers to host workshops, as well as offering in-house training by the LaundRe team, which includes denim consultant Rowan Hunt and laundry expert Idrish Munshi, with a plan to grow the staff to 12 in year two. “It will be the first female-led laundry – I don’t know another that has women running it,” she adds. “The team care passionately about changing how we do things in the UK; it is not currently in sync with circularity or helping the planet.”
The need to change now is pressing, driven in part by incoming legislation, with companies keen to become more sustainable but sometimes unsure of what – and how – they need to change. “They are under pressure to deliver on price and there’s a want to be more circular, but there’s no real resource at the moment to help them. We will offer a place to solve the problem. We have a lot of brands and retailers behind us.”
The denim community at large is also behind them, she adds, with multiple offers of help and support. “We can build collections and a library from day one with our wonderful denim community and friends. It will be a hub for positive denim,” she adds. “Some industry people thought we were crazy to set up a laundry in London, but now their narrative has changed – now they see there is a real opportunity, and there’s a lot of excitement.”
Salli Deighton and Rowan Hunt.
All photos: LaundRe
