Ce n’est pas un denim – this is not just a denim
Spiekerboks is nominated for the European Circular Fashion AwardsOur first European recognition, a nomination we are proud of. From October 1st, your vote can help us further develop the project.
Spiekerboks is an emerging circular solution
Out of a whopping 275 submissions, 16 finalists have been selected — and Spiekerboks is among them! In the category Solution Circulaire Émergente (emerging circular solution) we are among the last four. This is a great recognition for us as a small organization and for our mission to make 100% recycled jeans accessible to everyone. Accessible within a circular system that works locally.
Why Spiekerboks has been nominated
Spiekerboks is nominated because we are not only showing that a jeans can be designed in a circular way, but also that it can be made within a shared circular infrastructure! The Spiekerboks is the icon of this new and transparent textile chain.
With our partners, we are building an open and transparent system where material development, production, traceability, return logistics, and recycling are coordinated. This way, brands, designers, and manufacturers do not have to reinvent the wheel every time. Raw materials are not lost, but remain in the chain. Textiles are reused so that their value remains as long as possible. Through this system, parties can produce more efficiently and at lower costs, scale up more easily, and every consumer has access to a circular product at an affordable price.
This makes our approach special:
Jeans made from 100% recycled cotton — The Spiekerboks is made from collected jeans from Groningen and cotton waste from cutting operations. By reusing textiles, we significantly save on water and CO₂. For comparison: the production of one regular jeans costs about 7,000 liters of water and 10 kg of CO₂.
Produced close to home — together with European partners, we are bringing textile production closer to home.
Local and social — we keep materials, craftsmanship and employment in the region and create opportunities for people who need extra support.
An honest price — for creators, brands and consumers.
Production on demand — we only make what is actually sold.
Why this nomination is important for us
We want to apply our approach to more and more brands and producers. For that, we need new knowledge, experiments, and collaborations. Your vote helps us become more visible in Europe, find new partners, and further develop our approach!
Our ambition is to apply the system behind Spiekerboks not only in Groningen, but also in other places in Europe. Local creators and producers can adopt our approach and adapt it to their own environment. This creates a network of local, circular production as an alternative to large-scale industry. By producing locally, collaborating, and keeping raw materials as much as possible in the region, we build a more resilient system.
If we win the prize of €5,000, we will invest in the further development of the project. An important part of this is improving the traceability of our materials and products, in line with the European regulations that will become increasingly demanding in the coming years. We want to be able to make it clear where our materials come from and where our products end up after use. In addition, we want to better respond to the needs of our customers, for example by conducting research into different washings for our denim. There is great demand for this.
Spiekerboks wouldn't exist without our partners
Collection, sorting and pre-recycling: Municipality of Groningen, Sympany, Groningen Werkt Circulair
Fiber regeneration and yarn productionPurfi (BE), CETI (FR)
Stitching, weaving and finishing of denimPureDenim (IT)
Circular concept developmentReBlend (NL)
Design, creators and brandsKleerlijk, OBEY Clothing, Nowtex, Free Prisoner, Alfa-college
Project coordinationGroningen Werkt Circulair
Vote for Spiekerboks
If you think our project deserves recognition, you can vote for it from October 1st until November 29th via www.modecirculaire.com
From November 12 to December 13, we will be represented with the other finalists with our products and initiatives at the public exhibition in Roubaix, France.