Rens, a Finnish sustainable fashion startup founded in 2018 by Vietnamese sneakerheads Jesse Tran and Son Chu, is adding a vegan athleisure hoodie to its successful collection made from coffee grounds, recycled plastic and bamboo viscose.
The sneaker label launched in 2019 with its climate-neutral certified coffee waste and recycled plastic sneakers. Last summer, Rens launched its second-generation sneaker, Nomad, for performance activities. Now the brand is launching its first apparel collection, the Rens Elemental Hoodie, which is already available for pre-order in Europe, the U.S. and the U.K. The hoodie is made from 43 cups of coffee grounds, 12.5 used plastic bottles and 40 percent bamboo viscose. The coffee grounds have antibacterial, anti-odor and quick-drying properties, and the bamboo viscose maximizes breathability and is also more absorbent than regular cotton. According to Rens, the latter has inherent antibacterial properties that help reduce bad odors, and it offers 42 times more UV protection than cotton. This protects the skin and ensures that colors stay vibrant longer. In addition, the Elemental Hoodie is a very skin-friendly material that is naturally soft and suitable for sensitive skin.
Bamboo viscose requires significantly less energy to produce, making it cheaper to produce, and it is one of the fastest-growing resources on earth. Additionally, Rens will again work with Climate Partner to produce the Elemental Hoodie in a carbon-neutral way. This will allow Rens to offset all climate emissions generated during production by supporting climate projects.
The Elemental collection includes a climate-neutral hoodie and a digital surprise. Available in 5 different physical colors, the first 2022 hoodies will include a limited edition NFT that will be completely free to mint, with no payment of gas fees. The 2022 limited edition NFT will be unveiled on April 14.
