Hyosung’s recycled fiber to bolster greener fashion brands at Musinsa

Musinsa's Sustainability & Communications Division Head Lee Sung-jin, left, poses with Hyosung TNC Chief Marketing Officer Lim Jang-gyoo at Musinsa Seongsu N1 in Seoul, April 18. Courtesy of Musinsa

Hyosung Group’s textile industry arm has formed a partnership with the country’s largest fashion retail platform Musinsa to expand its eco-friendly fiber material, Regen, across the industry, the companies said Friday.

The partnership is between Hyosung TNC and Musinsa Earth, a group of fashion brand makers at Musinsa that employ eco-friendly manufacturing practices or materials. The two sides signed the partnership on April 18.

Under the partnership, Hyosung TNC will supply its Regen fiber to the Musinsa makers and promote the material's use to over 300 brands that sell on Musinsa's platform.

Hyosung TNC said the cooperation on Regen will be “versatile and far-reaching,” covering stages from new product development to promotion and marketing.

Regen, a fiber made from recycled abandoned fishing nets and plastic PET bottles, comes in different categories including Regen Spandex, Regen Nylon and Regen Polyester.

The first release of Regen-related products, according to Hyosung TNC, has been set for World Environment Day on June 5. Seven brands selling at Musinsa will debut fashion items that use Regen.

Hyosung TNC said its fashion design center will hold a workshop for Musinsa sellers during the second half of this year to introduce Hyosung TNC’s entire lineup of eco-friendly fiber materials.

Hyosung TNC CEO Kim Chi-hyung said the company’s partnership with the “No. 1 platform for fashion brands in Korea will cement our leadership in the recycled fiber market."

“We expect to see more fashion brands at Musinsa using Regen for their products. I hope the partnerships remain robust and develop further diversification so that more fashion brands in Korea decide to replace their materials with recycled fibers like Regen."

A Musinsa official said the country’s fashion market has been seeing rising demands for sustainable items and brands, prompting brand makers to show more interest in developing their own eco-friendly clothing and other fashion items.

“Our partnership with Hyosung TNC will support such brands and bolster expanding the country’s eco-friendly fashion market,” the official said.