MILAN — May 16, 2025 — Eastman Naia™ joined Challenge the Fabric 2025 as an official Innovation Partner, reaffirming its commitment to scalable sustainability through cross-sector collaboration. The event held May 13–14 in Milan, brought together leaders from fashion, textiles, and forestry to accelerate circular solutions and spotlight man-made cellulosic fibers.
A key highlight of the event was the CTF Award, a global competition pairing emerging designers with material innovators to co-create visionary garments. As part of the program, Naia collaborated with designer Oscar Ouyang and Italian mill Lady V to co-create a garment using NAIA/WO, a custom textile made from 50 percent RWS-certified virgin wool, 50 percent GRS-certified recycled wool, blended with Naia Renew fiber.
“The esteemed Prato-based textile company Lady V have introduced Naia into their apparel by creating NAIA/WO. The fabric is finished using traditional wooden barrels, ensuring a soft, luxurious ‘lambswool’ texture without over- felting. This partnership exemplifies our shared commitment to creative, sustainable innovation in fashion,” said Cristiano Vieri from Lady V.
Designer Oscar Ouyang reflected on the inspiration behind his piece: “It has been a pleasure working with the Eastman Naia fabric. The versatility and the sustainability of the MMCFs fabric is truly impressive. The combination of cutting-edge and traditional techniques behind the production of the fabric inspired me to create this shepherd’s look,” said Oscar Ouyang.
At the heart of the textile is Naia Renew, Eastman’s cellulosic fiber made from 60 percent sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40 percent GRS-certified recycled waste, enabled by molecular recycling.
“Challenge the Fabric is a unique event where we have real, action- and collaboration-based conversations,” said Claudia de Witte, Marketing & Sustainability director at Eastman. “We are proud to have participated in the design competition and even prouder to see Oscar, his design, and how he showcased the versatility of our Naia Renew staple fiber.” De Witte also expanded on this vision during the CTF panel “From Ambition to Execution,” emphasizing the role of partnerships in scaling sustainable solutions.
Posted: May 20, 2025
Source: Eastman
