Prada gives a second life to cashmere and wool

Fashion

Ever wondered what happens to the leftover threads of a luxury sweater? At Prada, the answer is beautifully simple: they come back as something even better. Meet Re-Cashmere and Re-Wool, the house’s newest chapter in circular fashion. If Re-Nylon proved that regenerated fabric can be covetable, these two show the same magic works on nature’s most storied fibres.

Instead of starting with waste after a garment is worn, Prada begins at the source: spinning residues, offcuts and cutting-room remainders, including cashmere from its own Torgiano facility. These fragments are sorted by colour, so no re-dyeing is needed, then carded and spun into fresh yarn, all in Italy. The Re-Cashmere sweaters, for him and for her, are made from 100 per cent recycled cashmere. Re-Wool, meanwhile, blends 50 per cent certified virgin wool with 40 per cent recycled wool and 10 per cent recycled cashmere, shaped into trousers, jackets, skirts and dresses built for layering. Think classic silhouettes, a soft, considered hand and that signature Prada restraint: clothes that don’t shout; they simply stay with you.

Luxury loves an acronym, so here’s your cheat sheet—SFA (Sustainable Fibre Alliance) certifies the cashmere going in, guaranteeing it is responsible and traceable, produced to recognised environmental and social standards. RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) covers the virgin wool in Re-Wool. GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certifies the recycled yarn that emerges. In short, three badges, three promises: where it began, what it’s made of, and how it came back.

The numbers add up too! Recycled animal fibres can cut CO2e emissions by around 75 per cent, according to general industry data (not a product-specific assessment, Prada is careful to note). This new chapter for Prada is more than just sweaters, colours or silhouettes; Re-Cashmere and Re-Wool follow the roadmap the Prada Group set in 2023 to move its principal raw materials towards lower-impact solutions. Traceability sits at the heart of that plan, a tool for managing environmental impact right from the start of the supply chain.

For the tech-curious among us—every piece carries an NFC tag that opens the Aura Consortium platform. Tap it, and you can follow your garment’s journey, including the fibre origins, the suppliers, the country of processing and each stage in between. You’ll also find a Digital Certificate of Authenticity, secured by blockchain technology so it can’t be altered. It’s provenance, in your pocket.

Production follows the yarn, not the calendar—so quantities are limited, and even a repeat shade, like last season’s blue, may never look quite the same twice. Every piece carries its own essence. Crafted in Tuscany and Umbria by a network of specialist suppliers, Prada’s luxury that proves quality and conscience can share a wardrobe.

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Images: Supplied