GOT IT COVERED: Madrid-based materials science company and cotton recycler Recover has appointed former Levi Strauss & Co. and C&A executive Hans Ploos van Amstel to its board of directors.
Ploos van Amstel previously served as the group chief financial officer at the denim company, and as co-chief executive officer at European retailer C&A, as well as holding positions in private equity, before joining Recover.
“His extensive global experience, financial acumen and strategic vision will be invaluable assets as we continue our mission to revolutionize the textile industry through sustainable innovation,” said Recover chairman Olof Persson.
“[I] look forward to leveraging my global experience in finance, fashion and textiles to support the company’s continued growth and customer-centric focus,” said Ploos van Amstel.
Ploos van Amstel is the latest addition to the company, following a series of executive hires and moves starting last fall.
Former H&M executive Anders Sjoblom took over the chief executive officer role in January. At H&M he served as global managing director for the lifestyle brands, including the launch of the Move athleticwear line, and expansions in the home and beauty categories.
Two other major moves preceded Sjoblom’s hire, with former CEO Alfredo Ferre stepping back and into the newly created role of chief product and innovation officer and former Coats Group executive Matthew Neville joining as the company’s chief commercial officer in August.
The slew of new hires signals Recover’s strategic scaling up as it seeks to accelerate its global expansion and continue to ramp up production capacity. The company opened its cotton recycling facility in Bangladesh in 2022, following facilities in Spain and Pakistan. Their newest facility is under construction in Vietnam, slated to be completed later this year or early 2025.
Goldman Sachs’ sustainable investing unit took a minority stake in the Spanish recycling company back in 2022, to the tune of $100 million. It’s also backed by Story3 Capital, Fortress Investment Group and Eldridge Industries, among others.
Recover has several high street brands on its client list, including Zara parent company Inditex, C&A, Primark and Revolve.
MAT FINISH: Textile platform Bakermat launched a virtual fabric library to allow designers access to immersive 3D materials that are paired with what they have in their physical Antwerp store. Designers can work with the digitized materials to create their designs before ordering as part of Bakermat’s focus on responsible textile sourcing.
The Bakermat platform founded by Cedric Jacquemyn and Quinten Schaap is out to promote ethical textile sourcing, bringing together pre-vetted materials from local suppliers such as those in Belgium, and as far-flung as Japan. All of the textiles are from responsible suppliers and come with product passports.
It also sells designer deadstock from brands including Christian Wijnants, Walter Van Beirendonck and Jan-Jan van Essche.
“We’re establishing this virtual fabric library to provide a seamless transition between virtual creation and physical realization. While there’s an abundance of 3D textures available online, finding high-quality textile textures that correspond to real-world fabrics is a challenge,” said Schaap.
“Drawing from experience, we understand the time and effort it takes for designers to find suppliers aligning with their brand values. The relationship between a fabric manufacture and a brand is pivotal, shaping not only a brand’s narrative but also its sustainability initiatives. At Bakermat we see it as our mission to help make this process as transparent and inspiring as possible,” added Jacquemyn.
