Keel Labs Launches First T-Shirt from Seaweed-Based Kelsun Fibre

Next-gen material solutions are here. Biomaterials company Keel Labs has launched its first in-house garment by using Kelsun fibre, with the T-shirt serving as the start of global product and brand launches to come.

Long Story, Cut Short
  • The T-shirt marks the first Kelsun garment made using industry-standard knitting machines.
  • Kelsun claims to reduce water usage by 70X and land use by 100% when compared to cotton by utilising seaweed, one of the world's most regenerative and renewable organisms.
By translating the abundant seaweed supply chain into fibre production on industry-standard equipment, Kelsun is being projected as a drop-in solution for textile supply chains that delivers positive impacts to an industry in urgent need of mitigating its environmental impact.
WEEDING OUT POLLUTION By translating the abundant seaweed supply chain into fibre production on industry-standard equipment, Kelsun is being projected as a drop-in solution for textile supply chains that delivers positive impacts to an industry in urgent need of mitigating its environmental impact. Keel Labs

Biomaterials company Keel Labs has launched a T-shirt made from Kelsun fibre, the company's flagship product made from seaweed

The product: The Kelsun T-shirt was created to demonstrate Kelsun's plug-and-play potential in replacing conventional fibres used in the textile industry.

  • The T-shirt marks the first Kelsun garment made using industry-standard knitting machines. 
  • It was created using a yarn blend of 70% Kelsun and 30% cotton, showcasing Kelsun's simple familiarity in a jersey knit—one of the most fundamental knit constructions. 
  • The Kelsun T-shirt also features a screen print using Living Ink's Algae Ink, printing Keel Labs' signature brand element, the Spun K, on the T-shirt's pocket.
  • The garment was brought to life by climate activist Aditi Mayer.

The context: In an industry that produces 21 billion tonnes of textile waste annually, Kelsun functions as an alternative to conventional, resource-intensive materials, like cotton, that fashion and textiles has long relied on. 

  • Kelsun claims to reduce water usage by 70X and land use by 100% when compared to cotton by utilising seaweed, one of the world's most regenerative and renewable organisms. 
  • By translating the abundant seaweed supply chain into fibre production on industry-standard equipment, Kelsun is being projected as a drop-in solution for textile supply chains that delivers positive impacts to an industry in urgent need of mitigating its environmental impact.

Keel’s work: Keel Labs functions as a platform for innovation, working to create new applications for Kelsun in apparel and accessories, as well as new product categories like automotive, home goods, furnishings, and interiors. 

  • The company's work is predicated on creating an accessible and utilitarian product with Kelsun: a widely applicable fibre that looks, feels, and performs like the materials the world knows, while taking the guesswork out of sustainably-created textiles.

What they said:

This launch is about so much more than creating a T-shirt—it's our mission come-to-life, offering the industry a product that can be produced at scale. In partnership with Aditi Mayer, we're demonstrating to the fashion industry and consumers alike that next-gen material solutions are here, and they're able to be implemented in brands' and their partners' supply chains today.

Aleks Gosiewski
Co-Founder and COO
Keel Labs

The Kelsun T-Shirt is fashion's latest proof point that biomaterials are ready to revolutionize the industry at large. We are excited to debut our first in-house garment created using Kelsun, with the Kelsun T-shirt serving as the start of global product and brand launches to come.

Tessa Callaghan
Co-Founder and CEO
Keel Labs

With a brand's material choices alone being responsible for over half its total emissions, there's a dire need for the industry to revisit its chosen fibres. As someone who has long challenged the presence of fossil fuels in fashion and has opted for nature-based solutions instead, Kelsun's ability to create an option that integrates a renewable source, addresses fashion's plastics problem, while also eliminating pesticide use and agricultural land use is incredibly promising.

Aditi Mayer
Climate activist

 
 
  • Dated posted: 31 January 2024
  • Last modified: 31 January 2024