Plastic-Free Performancewear: Filium

Filium®, established by brothers Raj and Akhil Shah, is an innovative brand engineering alternatives to synthetic fabrics. Raj has been in the apparel industry for more than 40 years and founded several global apparel brands along the way. He immigrated from Kenya at 18 and launched his first company at the age of 19 in Seattle, Washington. The entrepreneur is known for working with countries without manufacturing infrastructure in place and helping them to develop responsible and sustainable garment industry models. He received the "pride of India" award in 2000 in part because of his work in this area.   

After 40 years in the business, Raj noticed a trend towards synthetics. This shift happened rapidly and drastically due to the ease and low cost of working with the new materials. Synthetics infiltrated activewear first, then permeated the luxury market. Plastic-based fabric is incredibly harmful to the environment because of the various harsh chemicals used to produce it. Even worse are the microplastics that are released every time you wash a synthetic garment. Additionally, petroleum-based fabrics are harmful to humans who wear them since you absorb those harmful chemicals as you sweat in synthetic garments.

Raj and Akhil believe nothing is farther from luxury than wearing plastic, so they developed Filium®. Their company provides an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum and plastic-based clothing. The duo has established a technology that transforms natural fabrics into a liquid, stain, and odor-resistant material without using any harmful chemicals. They call them “supernatural fabrics,” claiming they are able to outperform synthetics. The company is putting its technology to the test through its apparel brand Ably® Apparel, which produces modern activewear to men and women without any toxicity. Filium® is an innovative and exciting option for healthier performance-wear without compromising on quality.