CEO Tessa Callaghan. © Keel Labs

Marketing & Media

AlgiKnit Rebrands as Keel Labs in Mission to Become Leader in Sustainable Textiles

US-based sustainable materials producer AlgiKnit has announced that it is rebranding to Keel Labs. The company’s flagship seaweed-based yarn has also been given a new name, Kelsun. Keel Labs says the new branding, developed in collaboration with award-winning design firm Pentagram, aims to reflect its mission of supporting a sustainable future. A keel is the structural spine of a ship, helping to create balance and keep the vessel moving forwards. The name therefore symbolises the company’s intention to be a leader in sustainable textiles. According to Pentagram, the visuals it has developed for Keel Labs celebrate the beauty of the natural environment with simple, clear presentation. The new name and branding are now rolling out across all platforms. Producing seaweed-based yarn Keel Labs produces its …

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AlgiKnit sustainable kelp yarn

©AlgiKnit

Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

AlgiKnit Raises $13 Million to Scale Sustainable Kelp Yarn Production

Sustainable kelp yarn producer AlgiKnit has raised $13 million in its Series A funding round, led by The Collaborative Fund with participation from H&M CO:LAB, SOSV, and more. Following a previous round last year, AlgiKnit has now secured a total of $17.9 million. The latest raise comes as the company opens its new facility in North Carolina’s Research Triangle area, which will allow it to scale production of the eco-friendly yarn. AlgiKnit’s yarns are made by extracting a substance called alginate from seaweed and combining it with renewable biopolymers. The resulting fibres can then be knitted into textiles and coloured with natural pigments. These textiles could potentially be used across a range of industries, including fashion, furnishings, and automotive. Disrupting the textile industry Founded in …

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Seaweed AlgiKnit

©AlgiKnit

Textiles

Kelp Yarn to Be Produced at Scale as AlgiKnit Opens North Carolina Hub

AlgiKnit, a biomaterials company specializing in kelp yarn, announces the opening of a new innovation hub in North Carolina’s famed Triangle Park.  Founded in 2017, AlgiKnit aims to cut the fashion industry’s carbon emissions in half with eco-conscious materials created mostly from kelp. The company spent four years developing new technology that can commercialize and scale the inventive fabrics, and the Triangle Park facility will provide additional research and development space, as well as accommodate in-house manufacturing and business teams. In March, AlgiKnit raised $2.1 million to help scale the company’s bio-yarns, building on previous investments from SOSV and Horizon Ventures. Globally, the ethical fashion market is expected to be worth $8.25 billion by 2023.  According to the company, 342 million barrels of crude oil …

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Seaweed AlgiKnit

©AlgiKnit

Fashion, Design & Beauty

AlgiKnit Raises ​$2.4 Million For Seaweed-Based Yarn as Part of Next Gen of Conscious Materials

New York based AlgiKnit yesterday announced a fundraise of ​$2.1 million​ to turn ocean algae into scaleable bio-yarns, as the global ethical fashion market is posed to reach $8.25 billion by 2023. AlgiKnit creates kelp-derived, biodegradable fibers and yarns to remediate the harmful cycles of fast fashion; kelp is ​one of the most renewable organisms on the planet, absorbing CO2 and working against global warming and ocean acidification​.

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algiknit

© AlgiKnit

Fashion, Design & Beauty

How AlgiKnit Plans to Transform the Fashion Ecosystem with Seaweed Fibers

AlgiKnit is a New York-based biotech start-up producing durable seaweed yarns. The company aims to conserve the maritime ecosystem whilst creating a sustainable and ethical fiber which can be processed into textiles for the fashion industry. To produce the yarn, the research team extracts a substance called alginate from seaweed or algae. The alginate is combined with other renewable biopolymers for further processing. The biodegradable fibre is strong and elastic enough to be knitted into a textile. It is also suitable for use in 3D printing processes. The yarn gets its colour from natural pigments. Compared to conventional industrial dyeing, less water is required, and the use of toxic dyeing chemicals is completely unnecessary. The entire production process also has a very low carbon footprint. …

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