WILMINGTON, DEL. -- The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing sustainable fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, has launched an integrated media campaign on Earth Day that promotes the upcoming release of its bio-derived LYCRA fiber made with QIRA.

This sustainable fiber solution will be available in early 2025 and is the result of a unique collaboration with Qore, producer of QIRA, a key ingredient in LYCRA fiber. QIRA will be made from annually renewable dent corn at a state-of-the-art facility in Iowa. It will be used to make bio-derived LYCRA fiber at scale, with The LYCRA Company setting a goal to replace up to 30% of its current annual production with the renewable QIRA ingredient.

The new campaign will help inform the industry about some of the unique advantages of using dent corn grown in Iowa as feedstock for apparel. It features some of the farmers who are growing the corn that will help create the next generation of LYCRA fiber. At the heart of the “FashionFarmers” campaign are four video documentaries covering various aspects of farming and their relevance to apparel: Regenerative Agriculture, Traceability, Multi-Generational Farming, and Collaboration.

WWD has created a customized digital content hub that showcases the farmers’ stories and related content. The videos will also be promoted on The LYCRA Company’s website and owned social media channels.

“This partnership with LYCRA and QIRA lives at the core of the Fairchild brand mission: delivering purposeful content to the fashion industry that will drive businesses forward,” said Amanda Smith, President of FMG. “We are thrilled to be using our global platform to collaborate with the LYCRA and QIRA brands to tell this innovation story, and to be able to showcase the impact this fiber technology will have on the future of the industry as a whole.”

The LYCRA Company will amplify its messaging with a six-month media buy across WWD’s network and other select global publications designed to reach sourcing industry leaders, fashion insiders, brands and retailers looking to reduce the environmental impact of their company’s products.

“Our collaboration with Qore to develop bio-derived LYCRA fiber made with QIRA is an important part of our sustainability journey,” said Steve Stewart, The LYCRA Company’s Chief Brand and Innovation Officer. “We introduced the world’s first commercial bio-derived spandex back in 2014 and now, with Qore as our partner, we’re excited to bring this to market at scale, reducing the carbon emissions of LYCRA fiber by up to 44%[*]. This will likewise help our customers lower their carbon footprint.”

This sustainable solution will also deliver equivalent performance, eliminating the need for significant production changes or re-engineering of fabrics or patterns. To reinforce this point, test quantities of bio-derived LYCRA fiber are currently available, allowing customers to confirm the fiber’s performance properties.

“We are excited to introduce the apparel industry to some of the farmers who are growing corn to help make fashion more sustainable,” said Jon Veldhouse, CEO of Qore LLC. “This campaign highlights their roles as stewards of the land and reveals their passion for driving positive impact in their communities.”

The LYCRA Company is inviting customers who have expressed interest in adopting bio-derived LYCRA fiber to Iowa this summer to visit some of the farms and tour the Qore plant where QIRA will be made.

[*] Estimate from Cradle-to-Gate Screening LCA for a representative LYCRA fiber manufacturing facility, June 2022, prepared by Ramboll US Consulting, Inc.