Circ is a fashion technology company that returns clothes to the raw materials from which they were made. Essentially: a path to erase our global fashion footprint. When Circ asked us to help design a first-of-its-kind launch with fashion icon Mara Hoffman, we knew this couldn’t be your average glam gown drop — it had to set a precedent for the future of fashion.
Client
Circ + Mara Hoffman
Role
Creative direction, copy, brand strategy
Project
Brand partnership + campaign
Team
Baldwin&
“The Dress that Changes Everything”
As a leader in responsible design, Mara Hoffman previously replaced silk with lyocell in the luxury space. Now, she’s taking sustainability even further by embracing a circular alternative that reduces reliance on wood pulp and diverts fabric waste from landfills.
She’s the first luxury designer to use Circ Lyocell — a regenerated fiber made entirely from textile waste — marking the start of a multi-year transition away from virgin lyocell in her collections.
To launch the partnership, Hoffman debuted 35 limited-edition gowns in her signature poppy color and strappy silhouette. Each was made in NYC, individually numbered, and finished with a label created from its own cutting scrap. A sewn-in QR code lets wearers trace the dress’s full journey — including its waste footprint — setting a new standard for sustainable fashion launches.
We partnered with the Mara Hoffman team to shape every part of the launch — from strategic positioning and brand storytelling to the campaign’s creative concept and execution. From cutting, to launch, to the day the gown is retired — this debut was designed to close the loop. Every piece. Every part. As circular as possible.
We asked Mara to write every hangtag by hand — a nod to the intentionally limited run of dresses and the bespoke nature of the launch.
A special sewn-in tag was created out of scrap material from the dress cutting room floor, and it featured a special note from Hoffman about the game-changing gown. We used this letter as inspiration for the Mara Hoffman window display at their flagship store in SoHo, as well.
Tracing Circularity
Working with Avery Dennison, we encouraged dress owners to learn about their dress’s sustainability journey, and to also return the garment to the brand’s retail store so that it can be sent back to Circ for recycling after its long use.