Everbloom's renoa is the first new fiber class in 25 years

Everbloom, a materials-science startup, has secured approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission — the agency that oversees fiber labeling in the U.S. — for renoa, marking the first new fiber classification the agency has created in 25 years. The material comes from waste protein sources, among them cashmere and wool scraps plus down and feather “lint” left over from the bedding industry; Everbloom grinds that waste into powder, mixes it with a biodegradable biopolymer, then extrudes the blend to match the length and diameter of specific natural fibers.

The approval lands as cashmere has spread across the fashion industry, from Bruno Cucinelli’s $7,900 cable knit cardigan to Quince’s $50 crewneck, while Loro Piana has built cashmere into a cornerstone of its lineup, helping push its LVMH division’s valuation above €11 billion. Yet cashmere stays expensive, difficult to maintain, and environmentally fraught — the goats that supply it have been damaging rangelands across Central Asia. Everbloom has spent three years developing renoa as a washable, more affordable alternative and is now scaling up production; the startup built its own AI model for materials science, with the cashmere substitute as its debut product.

Last month, Everbloom co-founder and CEO Sim Gulati gave a tour of the company’s New York City headquarters — 15 floors above Fifth Avenue, across from Bryant Park — showing off a crewneck sweater, knit gloves, and a scarf made with renoa. The sweater and gloves felt soft and light, but the scarf impressed most: a custom test piece Gulati had worn and washed for months, including a run through the tumble dryer, that came away without pilling or shrinking.

Everbloom is now working with multiple companies to bring renoa into consumer goods, starting with blends where it makes up around 20% of a cashmere sweater’s material. Gulati said the first such products are expected on store shelves by the second quarter of 2027. The 80/20 cashmere-renoa blend felt very close to pure cashmere, and Gulati said the additional finishing that commercial garments undergo should close any remaining gap without hurting washability or durability.

Why it matters

A substitute fiber that performs like cashmere but costs less and survives machine washing could widen access to a material currently reserved for premium price points, while easing pressure on the Central Asian rangelands cashmere goats have strained.