Keel Labs’ seaweed yarn, backed by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, can tackle fashion pollution

Li Ka-shing-backed start-up Keel Labs is spinning yarn from seaweed to transform the textile industry and tackle pollution in the fashion sector’s supply chain.

The North Carolina-based start-up, founded in 2017 by designers Tessa Callaghan, Aleksandra Gosiewski and Aaron Nesser, has developed a yarn from kelp to replace the traditional fibres used in garments and textiles.

“What we were coming to see and realise was that this industry that we know and love, [which] is so integral to our day-to-day lives, is filled with waste, pollution and degradation of our climate,” Callaghan, co-founder and CEO of Keel Labs, said in an interview.