Changemakers in fashion (part two): Romain Narcy of Rematters, Ereks Blue Matters and the Denim Deal
In this second instalment, FashionUnited spoke with Romain Narcy, a denim expert turned entrepreneur and sustainability advocate, with over two decades of industry experience. He is the co-founder and CEO of Rematters, a consultancy focused on circular supply chains and textile recycling. Narcy is also a partner and head of strategy and innovation at Ereks-Blue Matters and a key figure in the international Denim Deal initiative. 1. Can you introduce yourself and provide an overview of your professional background and expertise?
I'm Romain Narcy, a Frenchman with a background in business administration. Internships and a civil service with Sodexo took me to Turkey in the late 1990s, where I met my future – now current – wife. In 2004, I joined Ereks Blue Matters, my father-in-law's denim production company, where I learned every aspect of garment production and helped grow the client base. Ereks does design to finished garments and exports mainly to the EU and the US, serving brands like Fabienne Chapot, Kings of Indigo, Ralph Lauren and Anine Bing.
My focus shifted in 2009, when a client, Stéphane Popescu (then at Bonobo Jeans), asked me if I understood the environmental impact of jeans. I didn't. Once I became aware of the environmental impact, I couldn't continue business as usual. His question led Ereks down the path of more sustainable production, which we have been doing for over fifteen years.
Around the same time, in 2012, I joined the Dutch Denim Alliance (the precursor to the Denim Deal). This was our first trial with post-consumer recycled cotton in the production of jeans.
'The COVID-19 pandemic felt like a signal from the planet: 'You're heading straight into the wall—why not change course?' With fashion producing 100 billion garments a year and projections reaching 250 billion by 2030, I decided not to return to production - not even the 'sustainable' kind. In 2023, I co-founded Rematters with Hakan Uçar, a chemical engineer working in textiles. Rematters is a consultancy and engineering company that helps build circular fashion and textile systems by linking ideas to the industry and scaling up innovation and solutions—because we believe scale is essential for impact.' 2. Can you tell us about your current projects, progress and key achievements so far?
Currently, we are a team of five people working internationally in countries such as Switzerland, Benin, Ghana, Turkey and France. Rematters advises large fashion and home textile companies on circularity and supports them with data, research and the latest technologies. One of our partners, the US-based Colourizd, has developed a yarn dyeing technology that uses only one litre of water per kilo, compared to the usual one hundred and 50 litres for dyeing wool, and produces no wastewater. Precisely the changemakers we like to support as changemakers. Recent work also includes collecting primary data for lifecycle assessments for Sphera consulting, on behalf of Textile Exchange, on recycled cotton in Bangladesh, Turkey and Pakistan; projects on supply chain decarbonization and textile-based insulation materials. We are also very proud of the feasibility and business case studies we did for Tell-Tex Switzerland to help them finalise their investment in a post-consumer textile recycling hub with a twenty thousand-tonne per year capacity.
Since 2020, I have been active in the Dutch Denim Deal, first as a signatory and later as a member of the steering committee. In 2024, together with Nicolas Prophte, I founded the Denim Deal International Foundation to scale the initiative globally. Our mission is to scale circularity in the global denim supply chain by building an inclusive ecosystem, by working with brands, manufacturers, recyclers and innovators from across the globe, not just the West. Today, the Denim Deal has almost 50 members from ten countries, including universities, NGOs, factories, brands and technology providers. What makes this initiative so impactful is that we don't just talk about collaboration, we do it. A key result: a clear rise in jeans made with at least 20 per cent post-consumer recycled cotton.' 3. What is the future of fashion? What opportunities and challenges lie ahead?
Leaders in the fashion industry need to be aware that a wave of a wave of regulation is coming fast. Under the EU Green Deal, the textile industry is directly in the spotlight, with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), carbon taxes, etc. Some measures have been postponed, but they are on their way. Many companies still underestimate the impact this will have on their operations, their supply chains and ultimately their business models.
In my opinion, fashion cannot grow and reduce emissions while continuing to produce more. Even with efforts to decarbonise the supply chain, around 70 percent of retail's emissions still come from production. The solution is not just greener factories, but rethinking the entire model. Growth needs to be redefined, with circular strategies such as resale, rental and product-as-a-service at its core.
At Rematters, and also via the Denim Deal, we support companies in their transition to circularity. Through the pilots we offer, brands can start to understand what needs to change from a regulatory point of view, what circular design really means and how they can adapt production accordingly. [Denim](https://fashionunited.com/tags/denim is a great test material: it's iconic, complex and has a high impact. 4. Where does the fashion industry stand today? Is there meaningful change happening and are brands truly aware of what a circular future requires?
Circularity will not happen in isolation; it requires active collaboration. Yet many brands are still focused on short-term EBITDA and quarterly results, with some even downsizing their sustainability teams. Fortunately, others, like our client Ralph Lauren, are truly enabling transformation with a long-term vision and support for decarbonisation.
We are not at a tipping point yet. The urgency still needs to be stressed multiple times. But I see the glass as half full. We are aware of the problem, now we need to fight for solutions. 5. What concrete steps should fashion leaders take to accelerate meaningful change?
First: rethink your business model. Circularity isn't just recycling – it's reduce, reuse , repair , regenerate . Without systemic change, we are just emptying a bathtub with a spoon while the tap is still running. Support innovation. Invest in incubators. Join initiatives like the Apparel Impact Institute or the Good Fashion Fund.
Second: I reiterate what manufacturers shared on stage during the Innovation Forum Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference in Amsterdam (April 2025): 'The era of one-way supply chains – 'I place the order, you produce' – is over.' A manufacturer is not just someone who makes 5,000 pairs of trousers, for example – it's a community of people in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Turkey with deep expertise. With long-term visibility, they can invest in decarbonisation and innovation. Collaboration, co-creation and shared responsibility are the only way forward, especially in a time of global uncertainty.
Reshoring of production is increasingly discussed, but that won't work with outdated systems. If we want to bring production back to Europe, we need to innovate in how we make clothes – cutting, sewing, finishing , everything. Disruption is the only way forward. Romain Narcy / Denim Deal archive photo Credits: Denim Deal archive 25 Various stakeholders of the Denim Deal 2.0 at Kingpins Amsterdam in April 2024. Credits: Denim Deal / Nicolas Prophte
In the third part of this changemakers interview series, we speak with Saqib Sohail, Lead for Responsible Business Projects at Artistic Milliners, a vertically integrated denim manufacturer headquartered in Pakistan.
If you have a recommendation for a strong candidate for this interview series, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@fashionunited.com.
Sources: - An interview with Romain Narcy, on May 7, 2025. - AI tools were used to transcribe the conversation and assist in simplifying and rephrasing quotes for clarity and readability.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
29 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Derry rail station sees record numbers amid claim just £1m would boost figures
Figures secured from Translink for 2024-25 saw a record 963,312 journeys taken to and from Derry by train across that period. This represents a slight increase of 11,000 passengers compared to the previous year, which itself was also a record-breaker. It has solidified Derry's status as NI's seventh busiest station, rising from seventeenth in 2016. Into the West campaigners estimate that equalising rail services east and west of the River Bann on the Derry-Belfast line, with a £1m investment, would add a further 250,000 passengers a year to rail demand from NI's second city. 'No other investment in NI would deliver such a large increase in public transport usage for such a small sum of money,' the group said. The group said that despite the opening of the 'much-hyped' new £340m Grand Central Station in Belfast in September 2024, Belfast city's 11 railway stations experienced a 5% year-on-year decline in rail usage in 2024-25 — amounting to 600,000 fewer trips taken by train there. The decline in rail passengers in Belfast across 2024-25 can be explained in part by a number of temporary station closures to facilitate creation of the new Grand Central facility. But, campaigners say, it also reflects an ongoing pattern since the Covid-19 pandemic — whereby changing work habits have altered the nature of demand for public transport. Into The West Chair Steve Bradley said that despite proof that money invested in Derry's rail 'unleashes huge increases in demand, the city still has one hand tied behind its back when it comes to services.' He explained: 'Derry and the two other stations west of the Bann receive over 2,400 fewer trains a year than every station east of the Bann on the same line. 'For example — whilst 13 rail services in each direction call at Coleraine and all stations in the east on Sundays (one per hour), the three stations west of the Bann receive only six Sunday services (one every two hours). 'Whilst there are four trains a morning from Coleraine and every station east of the Bann which reach Belfast before 9am for work or for study, Derry has only one such service. 'And whilst the last evening train from Belfast to Derry leaves at 9:10pm Mondays to Saturdays (7:10pm on Sundays), every station as far as Coleraine in the east benefits from later services up to 10:40pm.' Watch: £82M Super Yacht belonging to Russian billionaire arrives in Belfast He said none of this is the result of anything structural, instead claiming it is entirely due to timetable choices made by Translink and the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) over the last number of years. Mr Bradley continued: 'We have been told that a sum of £1m is needed to end this discrimination, which is a relatively small sum in infrastructure terms. 'Yet Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins is refusing to allocate the money from her own budgets, and also refusing to secure it from her Sinn Fein finance minister colleague either. 'Translink are also refusing to use their budgets to end this blatant regional discrimination, even though the cost of fixing it would add only eight pence to every rail ticket sold across NI.' Translink said it has seen 'strong passenger growth and high levels of customer satisfaction' in the north-west. DfI added that the minister is committed to addressing regional imbalance to better connect our communities, including those within the north-west. 'While a final budget 2025-26 has not been agreed it is the intention to ring-fence £5.8m in 2025-26 for Phase 3 of the Derry to Coleraine railway project, which will deliver better services and faster journeys,' a spokesperson said.
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Asian shares are mostly higher after a mixed finish on Wall Street
Asian shares were mostly higher on Thursday after a mixed finish on Wall Street, where shares in Nvidia, Palantir and other superstar stocks pared their earlier steep losses. Traders are looking ahead for cues about U.S. monetary policy from a meeting of central bankers that begins later in the day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is due to speak to the conference on Friday. The Fed has kept its main interest rate steady this year, primarily because of the fear of the possibility that President Donald Trump's tariffs could push inflation higher. But a surprisingly weak report on job growth across the U.S. may be superseding that. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.6% to 42,636.74 after a survey showed Japan's factory activity remained in contraction for the second month in August. The S&P Global flash Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) increased to 49.9 in August from 48.9 in July, just below the 50 level that delineates between growth and decline. Regional manufacturers have been feeling pressure from Trump's higher tariffs on exports to the United States. In Chinese markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index edged 0.1% lower to 25,135.09, while the Shanghai composite index rose 0.4% to 3,779.52. South Korea's Kospi jumped 1% to 3,161.74, while Australia's S&P ASX 200 index added 1% to 9,005.00. Taiwan's TAIEX climbed 1.2%, while India's Sensex added 0.1%. 'Asian markets walked into Thursday like a card room still heavy with last night's smoke — muted, watchful, waiting for the next cue out of Jackson Hole,' Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 dipped 0.2% to 6,395.78 after trimming a 1.1% loss earlier in the day. It is still near its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added less than 0.1% to 44,938.31. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.7% to 21,172.86. The day's action centered again around stocks caught up in the mania around artificial-intelligence technology. Nvidia, whose chips are powering much of the world's move into AI, sank as much as 3.9% during the morning and was on track to be the heaviest weight on Wall Street following its 3.5% fall on Tuesday. But it clawed back nearly all of Wednesday's drop and finished with a dip of just 0.1%. As it pared its loss, so did broad market indexes because Nvidia is Wall Street's most influential stock by being its most valuable. Palantir Technologies, another AI darling, fell 1.1% to add to its 9.4% loss from the day before, but it had been down as much as 9.8% Wednesday morning. One possible contributor to the swoon was a study from MIT's Nanda Initiative that warned that most corporations are not yet seeing any measurable return from their generative AI investments, according to Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, global head of equities at UBS Global Wealth Management. But the larger factor may be the simple criticism that prices for such stock have simply shot too high, too fast amid the furor around AI and became too expensive. In other dealings early Thursday, US. benchmark crude gained 30 cents to $63.01 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard added 26 cents to $67.10 per barrel. The U.S. dollar rose to 147.37 Japanese yen, from 147.29 yen. The euro slid to $1.1648 from $1.1659. ___ AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Oil extends gains amid signs of strong demand
TOKYO/SINGAPORE, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Oil prices extended gains on Thursday, bolstered by signs of strong demand in the U.S., with uncertainty over efforts to end the war in Ukraine also lending support. Brent crude futures hit a two-week high in early trade and were up 27 cents, or 0.40%, to $67.11 a barrel at 0442 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 29 cents, or 0.46%, to $63 a barrel. Both contracts climbed over 1% in the prior session. U.S. crude inventories fell by 6 million barrels last week to 420.7 million barrels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday, against expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.8 million-barrel draw. Gasoline stocks dropped by 2.7 million barrels, versus expectations for a 915,000-barrel draw, the EIA said, indicating steady driving demand during the summer travel season. That was also seen in a jump in the four-week average for jet fuel consumption to its highest since 2019. "Crude oil prices rebounded as signs of strong demand in the U.S. boosted sentiment," Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at ANZ, said in a note on Thursday. Hynes cautioned, though, that some "bearish sentiment remains evident as traders continue to monitor negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine." Traders and analysts expect oil prices to fall once a peace deal is reached, but any continued lack of concrete progress in negotiations could underpin the market. As U.S. and European military planners began exploring post-conflict security guarantees for Ukraine, Russia said on Wednesday that attempts to resolve security issues without Moscow's participation were a "road to nowhere". The drawn-out efforts to secure peace in Ukraine mean Western sanctions on Russian oil supply remain in place, and that the possibility of tougher sanctions and more tariffs on Russian oil buyers still hangs over the market. Russia, meanwhile, remains adamant it will keep providing crude to willing buyers, with Russian diplomats in India saying the country expects to continue supplying oil to India despite warnings from the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has announced an additional tariff of 25% on Indian goods from August 27 because of their Russian crude purchases. The European Union has also sanctioned Indian private refiner Nayara Energy (ESRO.M3), opens new tab, which is backed by Russian oil company Rosneft ( opens new tab. Indian refiners initially backed off buying Russian oil but company officials at state-run Indian Oil ( opens new tab and Bharat Petroleum ( opens new tab have bought Russian crude for September and October delivery, resuming purchases after discounts widened.
