DENMARK, 29 APRIL 2025 – ECCO, in partnership with Spinnova, announces ReSpin – a newly developed fabric created using patented technology that advances material innovation while reducing waste and supporting full resource use across the footwear industry.
Ten years in development, ReSpin is a material innovation that enables ECCO to transform existing and next-generation resources into high-performance footwear, without compromising on comfort, quality or design.
At the heart of ReSpin is a soft, flexible, leather-like protein fibre that can be spun into woven or knitted fabrics. Through patented technology, by-products typically discarded, burned for energy or composted during leather production are instead repurposed into durable fibres, giving residual materials an entirely new function and lifespan. Unlike traditional recycling methods that downcycle leather into lower-value applications, this process preserves the natural integrity of the leather fibre, enabling it to perform within a familiar range for textile manufacturing.
The technology is based on mechanical refining rather than chemical extraction, transforming wet blue shavings into continuous filaments that can be cut into textile-grade fibres. The result is a material with tensile strength comparable to wool and elongation at break roughly twice that of cotton – combining durability with flexibility, and enabling versatile use across woven, knitted, and fully fashioned components that reduce production waste.
ECCO ReSpin BIOM® 720 marks the first footwear application of the newly developed fabric. The drop builds on BIOM®’s biomechanical foundations, supporting natural movement with a precise, close-to-the-ground feel. Powered by ECCO ENCORE TECHNOLOGY, strategically placed outsole vents deliver efficient energy return, breathability and advanced shock absorption, ensuring all-day comfort from the very first wear.
This fiber launch demonstrates how innovation can transform an overlooked by-product into a valuable new resource. By upcycling leather offcuts into premium textile fibres, ECCO and Spinnova have unlocked a circular solution that preserves material integrity, reduces waste, and expands the possibilities for next-generation products. With the 100% protein fiber now reaching commercial-ready quality and debuting in ECCO footwear, this milestone marks the transition from promising technology to real-world impact, reshaping how the leather industry thinks about material value and the future of product design.
ECCO ReSpin BIOM® 720 is available from April 22 at ecco.com, and ECCO retail stores in the UK and Germany.
About ECCO
At ECCO, we’ve kept people walking since 1963. ECCO is an iconic brand based on Danish design, quality, and innovative technologies. We create shoes with unique comfort for families around the world. ECCO makes shoes to last. We are a responsible company and manage every aspect of the value chain from leather and shoe production to retail. ECCO is family-owned and employs more than 20,000 people worldwide. ECCO’s products are sold in 98 countries.
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