Lift-off for LaundRE
The doors are finally open to the UK’s washing, upcycling and R&D hub for jeans – and Inside Denim got an early sneak peek
The first thing that strikes you when you make the short walk across Canning Town from the Tube station to jeans finishing facility LaundRE is how well it fits into its surroundings, at once a mix of industrial warehouses – formerly a hub of London’s docklands – and contemporary high-rise hotels, apartments and office blocks. The juxtaposition of the old and the new feel fitting for a building that was once used as a church hall but which is now answering a more modern calling for reusing and preventing waste. It fits snuggly next to site-owner Reskinned, which takes old or unwanted stock from UK brands and resells or repurposes them, keeping them out of landfill. The partnership has the potential to be a strong one: containers stuffed with clothes in the yard outside will likely house jeans, maybe in need of a little revamp… but more on that later.
Emerging from the side of the building is a shiny new pipe system, leading from the brand-new Fulton boiler and hotwell, the powerhouse of LaundRE. The investment will future-proof the facility and is a sign of its commitment to doing the right thing, says co-founder Salli Deighton. “She used to be more interested in the laundry machines, but now the first thing Salli shows people is the boiler,” laughs R&D specialist Rowan Hunt. The pair will be joined on site by operations manager Joanna Senez, finance director Kelly Farewell, finance manager Callum Potts and Ivan Manzaneda, formerly of Jeanologia, as well as laundry expert Idrish Munshi, who was busy setting up the machines on Inside Denim’s visit in late June.
LaundRE will operate as an R&D and education hub, a production space for small volumes and an upcycling partner. As such it needs to be flexible, with some machines dedicated to R&D and others that will be used for brands’ stock, taking about 80 to 120 units each, with a view of the facility operating at around 1,000 units per day. “We think the sweet spot in the UK is around 200 to 300 units – that’s where they can’t go to Turkey or Tunisia, for instance, due to MOQs [minimum order quantities] – so it will enable brands to bring in bigger quantities, leave some in the warehouse, and send us a few hundred to work on at a time. It gives them the chance to test what works and be flexible,” says Salli.
Ozone and laser
The machinery and kit has been carefully selected from suppliers including Yilmak, Jeanologia and Metod to provide options in the most sustainable way, while keeping in budget. The facility houses two mid-size washers, two large drums, a hydro extractor and two dryers. The drums have nebulising systems – microbubbles or ‘fog’ to which chemicals can be added – keeping water consumption low. There is a water cabinet with two mannequins; as chemicals are sprayed onto the jeans, the water captures the droplets and washes them away. "Traditionally they are used to spray PP [potassium permanganate],” says Salli, “but we’ll only use alternatives.”
Chemicals have also been specially selected, from partners Soko, Kaiser, Nearchimica, CHT and Garmon. The most important factor was that they are all ‘green’, so that the EIM (Environmental Impact Measuring) scores would also be green. “We're starting from the right base and not using any harmful chemicals,” says Rowan, adding that they might seek out enzymes suppliers, too. An important factor will be thinking about the byproduct – “two chemicals in doesn’t mean two chemicals out, because they react” – something the team have designed thoughtfully, with a water recycling system planned for the future.
At the far end of the warehouse is the ozone machine. Packed very tightly into its box, seeing it lifted out with the forklift was “one of the most terrifying moments of my life,” Salli jokes. The machine has multiple functions: it will be used to clean dirty jeans as well as to fade jeans and change the look. Damp rags are added to supply moisture, and the jeans can then be ‘washed down’ from a dark colour, without using water. “We're going to do more R&D in this and use it in different ways, not just follow the set procedures,” explains Rowan. “It’s our secret weapon.”
For brands that might want to do something more bespoke, there are pneumatic legs which will enable grinding and “elevation” effects. The new Jeanologia laser machine also offers the chance for infinite designs, with designers able to supply their own files or to choose from an in-house library.
A reuse for everything
The circular theme flows through the building, with walls and cupboards made from wood repurposed from the boxes the machinery arrived in. Some chairs, tables and cabinets – as well as crates of old jeans – were donated by Isko, from its recently closed London-based Creative Room. Floor tiles have been repurposed from offices, the church’s DJ booth has been turned into a design space, while chairs and tiles have been sourced from IKEA’s Circular Hub. “We have been working with a company called PropUp, which repurposes props from TV,” says Salli. “We’ve got the Good Morning Britain chairs – Richard Madeleys’ got a wobbly screw.”
The upper floor houses an office space and a large bright meeting room, where the team will host workshops. There is talk of mills showcasing new collections, or suppliers sponsoring seminars. Interest has already been building, with teams from M&S, Nudie and River Island among the first to view the facilities. “For anybody who wants to come in, we’ll happily do the tours,” she says. “We’ve got companies already signed up for training days.”
Universities that don’t have the capacity to teach the finishing side of denim will now also have that option. Operations manager Jo recalls she learnt about the history of denim, the beauty of the product and the joy of design on her course, “but it was only when I started in industry that I found out about the chemistry,” she says. “We can inspire a new generation to design better and buy better. The longer they’re in here, the more excited they get. The buyers are happy that we can solve their problems, and the designers are excited that we can do all this amazing stuff!”
Upcycling potential
As the business develops, so too will its partnerships with upcyclers and Reskinned, taking jeans that have been sent back to retailers, or ones that arrive in bulk in various conditions, and have been classed as waste. Sometimes they are just dirty, or need small alterations to make them saleable again. LaundRE worked with Reskinned on a successful pilot in 2023, showing how it could quickly and cost-effectively transform old jeans. At the time, there were 25 tonnes of denim on site – each tonne is 400 pairs of jeans. “That’s just one recycler. They are inundated,” says Salli. “The problem is, a lot of them are inundated with jeggings and stretch jeans where all the Lycra’s gone. But what we love about this site is they take things in, and if they can't be renewed, they go for fibre recycling or they become insulation. If they're damaged, we can repair them, or add a new circular service through cleaning and restoration. This is what we're really passionate about for the future, but in the meantime, we’ll help brands reshore.”
As I head back out towards the Tube, with the sound of hammering and whirring, the engineers and plumbers busy fixing in and setting up the last of the machinery, and Rowan and Jo working on new samples for brands, it’s clear the last few years of hard work are about to start paying off for Salli and the team. LaundRE fits into new circular textiles sorting and recycling pilot schemes that are under way around the country, with a long-term view of connecting these streams of unwanted clothes and adding value before they are discarded. And hopefully the much-needed service combined with the contagious enthusiasm of the team means it will take permanent root in its fitting new home – and will no doubt be replicated elsewhere in the future.
