Ilaria Rosella Pagliaro Pollution-absorbing jeans debut on Parisian runways: between catalysis and programmable fabrics, fashion becomes environmental technology
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The Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026 became the stage for a quiet yet powerful revolution. Among ethereal looks, tailored shirts and spectacular trench coats, Stella McCartney unveiled a technology that could transform the relationship between fashion and the environment: it’s called PURE.TECH, and it’s a fabric capable of absorbing and neutralizing air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). But most importantly, it was applied to one of the industry’s most iconic and controversial garments: denim.
Sustainable denim according to Stella McCartney
For decades, denim has been a symbol of style, but also of waste. Producing a single pair of jeans requires up to 2,640 gallons (10,000 liters) of water and the textile industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater, with indigo dyes among the main culprits. Additionally, each pair of jeans emits over 73 lbs (33 kg) of CO₂ throughout its lifecycle.
With PURE.TECH, Stella McCartney proposes a denim that completely overturns this paradigm. The fabric is treated with mineral coatings that capture atmospheric pollutants and transform them into harmless compounds through catalysis and photocatalysis. Tests demonstrate that 1 square meter (10.8 square feet) of this material can neutralize, in one year, the equivalent of NOₓ emitted by 1,500 cars. And the surprising thing is that pollutants remain bound to the fabric even after washing, thus preventing them from re-entering the water or air cycle.
This isn’t a vague promise: the denim has been certified according to international ISO, CE, LEED and BREEAM standards, with tests conducted by CARTIF Foundation and the University of Alicante. The environmental performance is real, measurable, and already used in other projects, such as the “Sustainable Market” pavilion presented by McCartney at COP28 in 2023.
PURE.TECH and FEVVERS
The Spring/Summer 2026 Stella McCartney collection introduced two revolutionary materials: FEVVERS, a vegan alternative to feathers, and PURE.TECH, the anti-pollution fabric. The latter, conceived by Italian Aldo Sollazzo and developed in Barcelona, transforms garments into portable air purifiers.
A small 1-ounce (30-gram) sample of PURE.TECH was able to eliminate 2,245 ppm of CO₂ in less than 10 hours, removing over 20% of NOₓ under ISO test conditions. The denim also requires up to 30% less water during production and doesn’t generate microplastics, being biodegradable at end of life.
During the show, the fabric was used in patchwork jeans, deconstructed jackets and oversized silhouettes, all designed to clean the air while being worn. The result was a perfect blend of couture fashion and environmental activism.
At an industrial level, the numbers are impressive. If just 1% of global jeans production, approximately 20 million pairs per year, were made with PURE.TECH denim, it could eliminate over 55,000 tons (50,000 tonnes) of NOₓ annually from city air.
For companies, this means Scope 3 emissions reduction, less regulatory pressure and concrete ESG advantages. Moreover, 75% of Gen Z consumers state that sustainability influences their purchasing decisions: adopting technologies like PURE.TECH is no longer just an ethical matter, but also a brand strategy.
Not just technology: between satin and sequins, fashion remains center stage
Alongside innovation, the collection maintained a sophisticated and desirable aesthetic. Powder pink, lavender and sky blue alternated with khaki and charcoal grey, while tailored cuts became bold, with sculptural shoulders, crinoline skirts and architectural draping. The classics weren’t missing: the camel trench, the striped suit, the oversized white shirt.
And then the cult bags like the Falabella, reinvented in a sustainable way, and hand-embroidered evening dresses from the London atelier. An elegant palette, ethical materials and a coherent narrative: the Stella McCartney woman of 2026 is powerful, conscious and modern.
Fashion is responsible for up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, air pollution causes over 7 million premature deaths every year. With PURE.TECH, Stella McCartney proposes a concrete solution, transforming the simple act of getting dressed into an act of micro-activism.
And perhaps this is precisely the future of luxury: not ostentation, but positive impact. In a world where invisible innovation is worth more than a logo, sustainable technology becomes the new status symbol.
Source: FHCM
