Silent Luxury

SILENT LUXURY met Javier Goyeneche in Vienna on the occasion of the opening of a new store to talk about the future of fashion (see interview). The founder of the sustainable and regenerative label ECOALF is showing the industry that there is another way—because, in his view, its current business model no longer works.

At the same time, Goyeneche proves that design, product quality, entrepreneurial growth, and profit can successfully align with longevity and sustainability. “We want to continue growing as an international brand,” he emphasizes, “but not at any cost.” ECOALF is among the top 5% of the exclusive circle of B Corps, companies certified according to the world’s most rigorous sustainability standards.

The Radical Exit

It all began with a departure. Goyeneche sold his first fashion label. For him, the vicious circle of endless consumption and disposal had become untenable. He became involved in environmental projects and sought a way to make a truly forward-looking impact as an entrepreneur. “I told myself: ‘Okay, you love sustainability, you know fashion—why not try to create your own sustainable fashion company?’” he recalls. That was back in 2009.

The Search for the Perfect Thread

From the very beginning, the concept and business plan started at the root of the fashion value chain: the yarn. The aim was to consume no new resources. The logical alternative, Goyeneche realized, was to use recycled materials. But when he began researching market options, the results were disappointing—choices were limited and quality subpar. That changed when he met a Taiwanese entrepreneur producing carpets from recycled plastic bottles. The yarn spun from this material convinced him, and in 2012 he launched ECOALF’s first collection.

Upcycling Begins on the Ocean Floor

In 2015, another defining moment followed: Goyeneche joined a trawler expedition and saw firsthand how much waste ends up on the ocean floor. That experience sparked the founding of the ECOALF Foundation, dedicated to the Upcycling the Oceans project. Since then, the foundation has worked closely with fishermen who collect marine debris during their regular fishing trips. Today, around 5,000 fishermen across 74 ports in Spain, Italy, France, and Egypt are part of the project—having already recovered 2,000 tonnes of ocean waste. “My goal is to work with 10,000 fishermen in 200 ports to help clear the Mediterranean seabed of plastic, piece by piece,” says Goyeneche.

Stories You Can Wear on Your Skin

What makes this initiative so special is that the recovered waste becomes Ocean Yarn, the base material for many ECOALF products. Sneakers, jackets, and bags from the current Fall/Winter collection are made from it. But Ocean Yarn was just the beginning. “Since then, we’ve developed 684 fabrics from different waste materials—plastic bottles, fishing nets, recycled cotton, and cashmere,” says Goyeneche.

The brand’s materials impress with both design and feel: the fabrics are durable, tactile, and of premium quality. Every garment tells a story. Inside a sweatshirt, one might read: “Today you are wearing recycled cotton”—with an added note that 2,700 liters of water were saved compared to conventional production. “For me, the value of a product is closely linked to its footprint,” Goyeneche emphasizes. 

When 25 Collections Are Too Many

The economic reality of the fashion industry is often masked by the aesthetics of runways and seasonal trends. This focus conceals massive external costs—from deforestation and excessive water use to the exponential accumulation of waste from unworn clothing. The global textile industry has become one of the world’s largest climate offenders.

The fast and ultra-fast fashion business model—with up to 25 collections per year—has driven production volumes to a critical level, flooding the market with low-quality goods that wear out quickly and are nearly impossible to recycle due to mixed fibers.

What the Atacama Desert and Ghana Reveal

According to the Boston Consulting Group’s September 2025 report “Spinning Textile Waste into Value,” (see “Die 150 Mrd. Dollar Lücke) roughly 80 percent of global textile waste remains unrecovered each year, representing a raw material value of 150 billion USD. The study highlights the vast circular potential: reclaiming just one quarter of this waste could supply enough material for the world’s 30 largest fashion companies.

ECOALF’s Goyeneche reflects on this imbalance between material output and ecological responsibility: “For me, the value of a product has a lot to do with its footprint.”

Currently, less than one percent of all discarded clothing is recycled into new fibers; most ends up incinerated or piling up at global waste hubs. The crisis is particularly visible in countries like Chile and Ghana, which have become dumping grounds for the world’s unwanted clothes. “Fifty million garments arrive in Ghana every week,” Goyeneche notes after a recent visit. “In just 15 years, the country has turned into a landfill. Imagine what it will look like in another 15 years if nothing changes.”

When Longevity Becomes Sexy

Do we have to give up the sensuality and allure of fashion to save the planet? Absolutely not. Design, aesthetics, and profitability remain—only the business model changes.

Companies like ECOALF demonstrate that true circular economy is profitable. A company  committed to net-zero emissions by 2030 with a mindful production strategy and only two collections per year can still thrive financially. “Capitalism must be recalibrated,” says Goyeneche—meaning not renunciation, but responsibility.

“Respectful fashion is emotional; it can be sexy. It’s about beauty and aesthetics, about looking great—but doing so consciously.” His conclusion is as simple as it is radical: buy less, and buy better. The man who coined the globally known slogan “Because There Is No Planet B®” is proving with ECOALF that the future of fashion is not about sacrifice—but about responsibility with style.