We believe that one of the solutions to lasting changes is innovation. BESTSELLER Innovation focuses on new low-impact materials, regenerative production, new circular business models and smarter ways of manufacturing.

Our approach is divided into three overall branches:

In our Lab, we investigate recycled fibres, bio-based leathers, polyester substitutes and alternative dyestuff and dye techniques. Innovation in textiles is strategically important for BESTSELLER and through Invest FWD and our involvement in initiatives such as Fashion for Good, we assess and select early-stage developments, and – when finding the right solutions – we help with scale and investment.

How can we design products that are fit for a circular economy, use waste as a resource and build systems that can close the value cycle? Those questions guide our cross-sectoral collaborations and work focusing on circularity.

Click for more information about our ambition of becoming Circular by design.

We prioritise projects that aim directly to improve soil health by working with organic and regenerative practises. Through a direct-to-farm approach we can improve and demonstrate the business case for farmers as well as suppliers.

Click for more information about our current Fashion FWD material portfolio.

BESTSELLER Innovation works determinedly together with Invest FWD – BESTSELLER’s investment arm for more sustainable fashion – to identify the right investment opportunities.

The overall strategy is to invest in innovation that can accelerate the future we want for the fashion industry.

We believe that change happens faster when innovation is supported with the means to thrive and reach commercial scale.

Invest FWD has already invested more than DKK 100 million across seven different sustainability innovators. By investing both within and outside the business, Invest FWD provides the capital to accelerate positive outcomes for BESTSELLER and the broader industry on the most critical sustainability issues covering the full life cycle of fashion: from raw materials to production and post-consumer use.

Focus areas

Examples of concepts and products we focus on – to generate change in the fashion industry:

  • Low impact and circular materials (e.g. turning waste into quality fibres)
  • New supply chain technologies (e.g. waterless dyeing, 3D printing and blockchain)
  • New business models (e.g. second-hand retailing)
  • Partnerships for women’s empowerment (e.g. promoting further life-skills to workers in our supply chain)
  • Renewable energy, conversation and natural carbon sinks (e.g. regenerative farming)

We acknowledge that there are issues we cannot solve on our own, and we believe that collaboration is key to finding solutions and making lasting changes. That's true for BESTSELLER - and it's vital for innovation. We have joined various multi-stakeholder initiatives and partnerships through which we address industry-specific challenges and opportunities together with other retailers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and industry associations.

Since 2018, we’ve been a strategic partner in Fashion for Good - a global community of brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, NGOs, innovators and investors united around shared ambitions of positively transforming the fashion industry. With our partnership, we aim to identify and grow new sustainable innovations and solutions through Fashion For Good’s Innovation Platform.
How can you apply recycled textiles and wood from responsibly managed forests into a knitted top? OBJECT presents an answer in their Spring collection through a first-time collaboration with fabric innovator OnceMore®.
For the past three years, the ReSuit project has been pursuing a solution for textile recycling. Now, the project alliance is ready to present its positive findings. 
BESTSELLER now expands its direct-to-farm initiatives with regenerative practices to gain new learnings. This season, BESTSELLER-owned JACK & JONES will exclusively receive a share of regenerative cotton from long-standing supplier and partner Artistic Milliners’ very first harvest.
Today, OBJECT and fabric innovator Evrnu are set to launch a small capsule collection made with a fibre that can be regenerated through the same process over and over.  
Collaborative strategies and innovation at the forefront.
Cycora® is the breakthrough material from Ambercycle, an innovator in BESTSELLER’s Invest FWD portfolio.
Materials science company Kintra Fibers, which has developed a bio-based polyester, has successfully raised $8 million in Series A funding. BESTSELLER’s Invest FWD is among the co-investors.
JACK & JONES has just launched a pair of jeans made from the innovative Infinna™ fibre from Infinited Fiber Company.

We’re preparing our products for the circular future envisioned by the EU. Therefore, we have developed our Circular Design Guide. The guide is an internal document for all designers and product developers across brands on how to design and create with circularity in mind – but made publicly available to inspire others.

More about how we’re designing for circularity and download the guide here.

Cotton is one of our most important raw materials. It’s a renewable material and the cultivation and production of cotton creates jobs and improves the lives of millions of people globally. However, it also has a significant impact on the planet and people engaged depending on the farming method.

For this reason, we have committed to source 100 percent certified and branded cotton – such as organic cotton, recycled cotton, In-conversion cotton, CmiA (Cotton made in Africa) and Better Cotton – by 2022.

Learn more here.

The use phase is the most polluting part of garments’ lifecycle. The total environmental impact of clothes can be reduced significantly by treating and washing them in the right way - and remember that worn-out garments have reuse and recycling value, so don’t throw them away.

Find our wear & care guide here.

 Circular Design Guide Waste as a resource Certified and branded materials Climate Impact Supporting the people in our supply chain Preparing for a circular future