Cork outdoor apparel company built on the principles of the circular economy

Zirkulu, the Cork-based premium outdoor apparel company, has announced a fundraising initiative to raise external investment of €250,000 for the development of the product and to grow the company’s brand name and reach with Irish and UK retailers and its online audience in Europe and Northern America. The funding can then be matched by Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Office grant funding.

Zirkulu is a unique Irish outdoor apparel producer built on the principles of the circular economy, as its jackets are created with a technical fabric that is partially made from sugarcane bi-product and recycled plastic. The three-layered outdoor Endurance jackets which come in Black Onyx and Stone Blue are lightweight, waterproof and breathable. The company has a significant number of pre-orders for the jacket.

Zirkulu was conceptualised in December 2020 by Fionn McCarthy and Jack Norman. It soon became clear that the future of outdoor apparel lies not simply in repurposing used synthetics but in utilising raw materials that are bio-based and renewable.

“Initially our journey started by trying to recycle end-of-life fishing nets and turn them into a material that could be used to create a jacket,” Fionn explained. 

“Zirkulu builds technical outdoor clothing from bio-based and renewable materials. 

"Our endurance shell jacket is partially made from sugarcane, we make our fleeces from merino wool sourced from New Zealand, and we have organic cotton T-shirts.

“Our future products in development follow the same design principles,” he added.

“When Zirkulu products reach their end of life, you can send them back to us. We will reuse the parts we can and send the materials to our recycling partner in Northern France to recycle the materials into a new yarn for future products. We will be fulfilling orders to our first customers in June who backed our kickstarter campaign that was live from December to January.”

Zirkulu operates as both a B2C and B2B brand, which allows for maximum growth and regular revenue flow.

Its online store www.zirkulu.com will be launching with its first product offering in June of 2023. Notable B2B partnerships will include a collaboration with Sea Shepherd, available in winter 2023.

Having recently launched a successful kickstarter campaign, Zirkulu has been able to start its production process and it will be fulfilling orders from the campaign in June of this year. All components for its first round of products have been ordered; and the manufacturing of jackets, merino wool fleeces and organic cotton T-shirts will commence when the components reach its manufacturing partners.

The jacket has been developed with technical performance as a high priority. To ensure quality and performance, Zirkulu works with a technical designer based in Utah, USA.

Jack Norman, director and co-founder, Zirkulu, said: “Today, we have no choice about how we respond when it comes to climate change and this includes clothing. Change is no longer a choice, but a necessity.

“We believe we have arrived at a near perfect circular solution when it comes to the production of apparel and we are very excited to be at the forefront of sustainable clothing.
"We have every confidence investors will join Zirkulu on our journey.”

Fionn McCarthy added: “Our mission is to build technical gear based on the principles of the circular economy and to chart new territory in outdoor apparel. We are proud of where we are on our journey. With new investment in Zirkulu over the coming twelve months, we can fund more product developments, purchase stock and generally bring Zirkulu to the next stage.”

It soon became clear that the future of outdoor apparel lies not simply in repurposing used synthetics but in utilising raw materials that are bio based and renewable.

In keeping with its core principle of circularity, Zirkulu has developed an end-of-life solution for its clothing, through a recycling partner in Northern France which will recycle its products. This will allow the company to turn used jackets and garments into a new yarn that it can use again in the production of future products.

In 2022, Zirkulu was invited to participate in the University College Cork IGNITE programme, which is a start-up incubation programme aimed at helping new start-ups in Ireland. Furthermore, the company was invited to present its jacket at IPSO, the world’s largest outdoor apparel and sportswear trade fair, in December last year.

This provided great insight into the industry and allowed the company to engage with the owners of some of the largest brands.

Zirkulu currently has a team of five people. “We do not have any physical stores at the moment but we hope to bring on retail partners and open our own retail store in the next three to five years,” Fionn explained.

“Recently we have announced a fundraising initiative to raise external investment of €250,000 for the development of the product and to grow the company’s brand name and reach with Irish and UK retailers and its online audience in Europe and Northern America.

“The funding can then be matched by Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Office grant funding.”

Looking to the future of the business, Fionn said: “At Zirkulu, our vision is to become a global brand in the outdoor industry by providing high-quality, durable and bio-based outdoor products that inspire and enable people to explore and enjoy the outdoors. We hope to lead the change in how outdoor clothing is produced.

“With a successful fundraising round, Zirkulu will invest in myself and Jack coming on board full time, developing our full product range, growing our team and building a strong community.”