Kering is reshaping denim with a focus on water stewardship, while Mud Jeans becomes the first brand certified for circularity.
Denim is having a reckoning. For decades, jeans have been the most democratic of garments, slipping seamlessly from workwear to the runway. But their environmental cost has weighed heavily on fashion’s conscience. Kering, one of luxury’s biggest players, is attempting to shift that narrative with its latest project in Milan, while Dutch brand Mud Jeans is proving that circularity can be more than just a slogan.
At Fondazione Sozzani, Kering’s Material Innovation Lab unveiled S|Style – Denim Lab 2025. The collection invited emerging designers from Georgia, Germany, France, the U.K., and Vietnam to experiment with denim using water-conscious processes, regenerative cotton, and forward-looking dyeing technologies. Italian mills provided the canvas: PureDenim delivered fabrics, while Tonello introduced innovative wash treatments. These partners helped translate laboratory research into garments that feel modern but carry a lighter footprint.
The event made clear that this was not a typical fashion presentation. Alongside the clothes, an art installation by Mariano Franzetti, crafted entirely from recycled denim, emphasized the creative potential of discarded textiles.
Christian Tubito, who leads the lab, explained the intention behind the showcase: “With this new edition of the Denim Lab, we want to demonstrate how creativity and innovation can reimagine this iconic fabric in a more responsible way, drastically reducing water use, eliminating harmful chemicals, and embracing next-generation materials. This initiative is not only a showcase of style, but a tangible sign of change that, starting with luxury, inspires a more sustainable future for the entire textile sector.”
Rethinking denim’s water footprint
For Kering, denim is more than a fabric; it is a litmus test for how fashion can handle one of its most pressing issues: water. Earlier this year, the company outlined a Water Strategy that aims for a net positive impact by 2050, beginning with new Water Resilience Labs in major sourcing regions. Italy’s Arno Basin, home to tanneries and textile processors, will host the first lab in late 2025.
The urgency is obvious. Traditional denim can require thousands of liters of water for a single pair of jeans. Even the rinsing and finishing stages can consume up to 25 liters per kilogram of fabric. When that water leaves the factory, it often carries chemical residues that add further strain to local ecosystems.
Kering’s Denim Lab seeks to tackle these problems directly by testing regenerative cotton, scaling low-water dyeing techniques, and eliminating toxic washes. The project builds on a 2023 collaboration with PureDenim, where Kering began adapting ultrasound dyeing technology to reduce water and chemical use.
S|Style has always had experimentation at its heart. Since 2020, it has given a platform to emerging designers working with new materials and processes. The 2025 Denim Lab extends that ethos into one of fashion’s most challenging categories, pushing luxury to lead where others can follow.
Mud Jeans raises the bar on circularity
While Kering invests in reimagining how denim is made, Mud Jeans is proving what happens once jeans enter the consumer’s closet. The brand has become the first denim label to receive the Testex Circularity Label, a new certification that verifies whether garments are durable, repairable, and recyclable.
For shoppers, the label means that a pair of Mud jeans has been tested to last. Rigorous trials based on the EU’s Product Environmental Footprint framework confirmed durability. Repair is built into the brand’s model through a partnership with Mended, where customers are encouraged to send in worn jeans for fixes; half of the repair cost is covered by Mud itself. Recyclability is ensured by a mono-material approach: jeans with at least ninety-six percent cotton content are taken back and transformed into new denim.
Dion Vijgeboom, head of product and operations, explained: “Circularity is part of our DNA. We design garments that last, then reuse and recycle materials wherever possible. Having an independent body certify what we do gives us credible proof, not just claims.” For customers, this makes Mud’s promise of circularity a guarantee backed by science.
Testex, the Swiss institute that launched the Circularity Label in 2024, has a long history of testing textiles. Its new certification raises the bar for fashion brands eager to make circular claims, demanding proof instead of empty statements. Mud’s recognition marks a milestone, showing that denim can be designed for endless life cycles.
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