Circ is a fashion technology company that returns clothes to the raw materials from which they were made. Essentially: a path to erase our global fashion footprint. When Circ asked us to help design a first-of-its-kind launch with fashion icon Mara Hoffman, we knew this couldn’t be your average glam gown drop — it had to set a precedent for the future of fashion.
Client
Circ + Mara Hoffman
Role
Creative Director
Project
Brand Partnership + Campaign
Team
Baldwin&
We called the launch “The Dress that Changes Everything” because…it is.
It’s the first time Circ Lyocell is being used in the luxury market. It also heralds an ongoing partnership as Mara Hoffman announces her commitment to transitioning to from virgin lyocell to Circ Lyocell in her collections over the next three years.
As a leader in sustainable and responsible design, Mara Hoffman was the first in the luxury market to openly replace silk with lyocell. This was a pivotal step forward, but one of many—as traditional lyocell uses wood pulp from trees as its main component. Her decision to use a regenerated version of the yarn, made from textile waste diverted from landfill and incineration, is indicative of the industry’s appetite for circularity and further elevates the brand’s commitment to sustainable materials, as well as Hoffman’s pursuit of eco-conscious materials.
The capsule featured 35 gowns in Mara Hoffman’s signature poppy color and strappy silhouette, each dress holding industry significance and independently numbered as a collector’s item. To pay off the breakthrough innovation in Circ’s technology, and the unprecedented commitment to cleaning up fashion’s future by Mara Hoffman, the launch of this dress was designed to set the circular standard for other fashion launches: the gowns were cut and sewn in New York City, feature a note from Hoffman on a special sewn-in label that is made of cutting scrap from the dress, and contains a QR code individuals can scan to learn about the making of the dress, including its waste footprint.
From cutting, to launch, to the day the gown is retired — this launch was designed to close the loop. Every piece. Every part. As circular as possible.
We asked Mara to write every hangtag by hand — a nod to the intentionally limited run of dresses and the bespoke nature of the launch.
A special sewn-in tag was created out of scrap material from the dress cutting room floor, and it featured a special note from Hoffman about the game-changing gown. We used this letter as inspiration for the Mara Hoffman window display at their flagship store in SoHo, as well.
Tracing Circularity
Working with Avery Dennison, we encouraged dress owners to learn about their dress’s sustainability journey, and to also return the garment to the brand’s retail store so that it can be sent back to Circ for recycling after its long use.