The vision: a zero-waste textile industry where resources stay in closed loops. Right now, only 1% of textiles achieve this. The rest? 73% end up in landfills or burned, 12% get recycled or downcycled, and 14% is lost during production and processing.

The Migros funding went toward building that knowledge infrastructure—toolboxes, assessment frameworks, circular design principles. Not profit. That was the condition, and exactly what the industry needed.

Authority in circular Italian tailoring – certified organic denim, zero toxins.

In 2020, we received funding from Migros Pioneer Fund—a major Swiss sustainability initiative that rarely accepts textile companies. Not for The Blue Suit's commercial growth, but for something bigger: sharing what we'd learned.

Co-founders Karen Rauschenbach and Yvonne Vermeulen launched Circular Clothing in January 2020, a non-profit helping small Swiss brands in fashion, homewear, and accessories operate according to circular economy principles.

Why non-profit? Because the research required to develop truly circular products—testing fabrics, certifications, supply chains, production methods—is expensive and time-intensive. Most small brands can't afford to start from scratch.

We'd already done the work. Every innovation, every certification, every production method was tested on The Blue Suit first. We used ourselves as the proof-of-concept, then built tools, assessments, and frameworks so other brands could skip years of trial and error.

The vision: a zero-waste textile industry where resources stay in closed loops. Right now, only 1% of textiles achieve this. The rest? "73% end up in landfills or burned, 12% get recycled or downcycled, and 14% is lost during production and processing."

The Migros funding went toward building that knowledge infrastructure—toolboxes, assessment frameworks, circular design principles. Not profit. That was the condition, and exactly what the industry needed.

The Global Recycled Standard certifies recycled content and responsible practices across 50+ countries. Those high-tension stitching threads we mentioned? They are GRS certified recycled polyester because they passed stress tests where 100% organic threads failed. Sometimes performance demands pragmatism.

Why polyester at all? Because a garment is only sustainable if it lasts. Pure organic sewing thread couldn't withstand the stress on front-rise and back-rise seams or jacket armholes—the exact points that take the most strain when you're cycling to work or reaching for your coffee. That 1% of recycled polyester (maximum garment weight) is what allows you to actually wear these pieces for years, not months. Durability isn't a compromise. It's the entire strategy.

Most denim is made on assembly lines where workers repeat a single task hundreds of times a day. We chose a different route: handmade garments in our Italian atelier. One skilled worker sews an entire garment from start to finish. It's more expensive, slower, and produces results that rival formal tailoring. This individual garment production system is how you achieve a perfect fit. This is what handmade actually means.

We treat GOTS certification as the baseline, not the finish line. Our blue denim, the striped knit blend (SeaCell, Lyocell, organic cotton), white cotton blouses, woven fabrics (for GILL Pants and KONO Overall)—all carry GOTS certification, while we've eliminated the bleaching and harmful dyes that GOTS would permit.

Also GOTS-certified are jacket sleeve linings in Cupro, and the original hang tags on 95% of the collection.

Why not Cradle to Cradle for everything? Because C2C certification demands rigorous testing of every single component of every single garment—a process that takes years, not months. Our ecru and black denim already carry C2C gold certification. The rest of the collection is working through the pipeline, because meeting the gold standard isn't something you rush.

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification guarantees organic fibers grown without pesticides, fair labor practices throughout the supply chain, and rigorous environmental oversight. It's extensive—really!

But here's what most brands won't mention: GOTS permits bleaching and dyeing processes that can still involve hazardous chemicals, despite the organic growing credentials

The cotton arrives clean from the field, but GOTS allows toxic chemicals in bleaching and dyeing. This is precisely why GOTS has become fashion's favorite sustainability badge—the raw material story sounds impeccable while the chemical processing remains negotiable.

Cradle to Cradle certification refuses this compromise. Not only must the cotton grow organically, but harmful bleaches and dyes are prohibited throughout weaving, knitting, and every finishing step. It's the difference between "organic cotton" and "actually safe at every stage."

Greenwashing thrives in this gap—brands truthfully claim "GOTS organic cotton" while they use toxic dyes that would horrify consumers who chose organic specifically to avoid toxins.

One Glass of Water That's how much it takes to rinse a pair of our jeans using E-Flow Technology—75% less water than conventional denim washing. For Lyocell products, it's half a glass! The water is collected, reused, and filtered at our Italian facility. This isn't a metaphor. It's measurement.

Air Drying: Slow on purpose  Every garment is hung to dry naturally. Yes, it takes longer than tumble drying. Yes, it preserves quality and reduces energy consumption. And yes, we're willing to wait.

Lyocell: A sustainable fiber made from wood pulp (usually eucalyptus) through a closed-loop process that recycles 99% of solvents and water. Lyocell is soft, breathable, and biodegradable—think of it as the responsible alternative to synthetic fabrics. We use it in our striped knit and woven fabrics.

SeaCell: A new biodegradable, and eco-friendly knitted material form Italy, made from seaweed and eucalyptus cellulose (lyocell). Known for extreme softness and silky texture. The fiber is rich in nutrients like Vitamin E, magnesium, and antioxidants that transfer to your skin as you wear it. We blend it with Lyocell and organic cotton in our striped knit.

Cupro: Regenerated cellulose from cotton linter. GOTS certified, used for jacket sleeve linings—smooth, breathable, and helps clothing slide on effortlessly.

Hardware: Untreated wooden buttons made of olive wood (C2C certified). All metal components are nickel-free. Zero petroleum-based materials.

Grown without pesticides or insecticides, organic cotton grows at its own pace without using modification to speed up the process, The result: less water consumption than conventional farming, preserved soil quality for future harvests, and safety for both the environment and the farmers who work the fields.

Every Blue Suit denim product starts here—GOTS Certified for Blue Denim, C2C Certified for Black and Ecru.

The Materials

Our denim is made in Italy using a traditional, dense weaving process that most manufacturers abandoned decades ago because it's slower and more expensive. We add minimal (natural rubber) stretch for comfort—no chemical finishes, no shortcuts.

Our black and ecru denim fabric meets these standards 100%. The result: garments that hold their shape season after season. The quality of denim comes down to four factors: cotton quality, yarn construction, dyeing methods, and weaving technique. We refuse to compromise on any of them.

If OEKO-TEX® is rigorous, Cradle to Cradle Certified® is relentless. This certification evaluates five categories: material health, product circularity, clean air & climate protection, water & soil management, and social fairness.Products are rated from basic to platinum based on performance across all five.

What earns C2C certification at The Blue Suit? All our Black and Ecru Denim. Every untreated wooden button. Our woven labels, prints, washing processes, laser treatments—even our Italian manufacturing facility itself. The only exception: jacket sleeve linings, which are GOTS certified Cupro instead.

Why isn't everything C2C certified? Because the process is expensive and time-consuming. But here's the thing: both C2C and OEKO-TEX® guarantee toxic-free production. The difference is that C2C goes further, addressing circularity and environmental impact across the product's entire lifecycle.

No animal-derived materials. Ever. We've been vegan since 2017—not as a trend, but as a technical decision. Leather requires chromium tanning—one of fashion's most toxic processes. Wool production demands intensive land use and chemical treatments. Silk involves killing silkworms by the thousands.

We don't need any of it. Vegan isn't a compromise in our collection—it's simply how we work.

What makes The Blue Suit Italian denim truly clean? The answer lies in certifications (you've never heard of) —and production methods that changed everything.

The Blue Suit doesn't just claim sustainability. We prove it! With CRADLE TO CRADLE (C2C) Certification, OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, GOTS, and a production process that uses a single glass of water to rinse one pair of jeans, our Italian-made denim represents what's possible when fashion refuses to compromise. Here's how we actually do it.

Your skin's best friend: OEKO-TEX® Standard 100.

Think of OEKO-TEX® as the ultimate safety checkpoint—testing every component of a garment (yes, even the thread and buttons) against 1000+ harmful chemicals. It's not about how cotton is grown; it's about whether the finished product is safe to wear against your skin, we try to use this certification as a starting point for all our materials.

STS 2030: We've committed to Switzerland's Textile Sustainability program since 2022, pledging to reduce emissions, promote fair wages, advance circular economy, and ensure transparency

Retraced: Complete supply chain transparency from raw materials to finished garments. Every step, tracked and traceable.