MUD Jeans
Dutch denim brand built around sustainable materials, garment leasing, repair, and circular textile recovery.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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History
MUD Jeans is a Netherlands-based denim brand whose modern identity was established after Bert van Son acquired and relaunched the company in 2012. Van Son introduced a sustainability-oriented business model that treated jeans as products with recoverable materials and continued utility rather than single-use fashion items. This direction placed MUD Jeans within the emerging circular-fashion movement and shaped its focus on organic cotton, recycled denim, garment repair, take-back systems, and product-impact measurement. In 2013, MUD Jeans introduced Lease A Jeans, its defining commercial concept. Customers could use a pair of jeans for a year while paying a monthly fee instead of buying the garment outright at the start. During the eleventh month, the customer could choose among three paths: continue with the same jeans and ultimately own them after twelve payments, exchange them for another pair at a 10% monthly discount, or return them without taking a replacement. Returned garments were inspected to determine whether they could be repaired, resold through a vintage channel, upcycled, or recycled. The leasing system was designed to encourage returns and provide the brand with a recoverable stream of denim fibers. It also included free repair services, supporting longer garment use. MUD Jeans developed a broader recovery system alongside leasing. Customers could send old jeans to the company at no charge, and the program accepted denim from other brands as well as MUD products. Garments that could no longer be reused were sent to Recover in Valencia, Spain. There, the denim was processed into fibers that could be incorporated into new jeans. This approach linked sales, after-use collection, and material recovery in a circular supply chain. The company also sought to reduce impacts during manufacturing. Its cited production methods include reverse osmosis, through which its manufacturing partner recycles 95% of production water, and dry-indigo dyeing, which applies dye using high-pressure foam rather than the multiple immersion baths commonly associated with conventional indigo dyeing. MUD Jeans carries out annual life-cycle assessments for its products and publishes or communicates water and carbon impact information as part of its sustainability positioning. The brand's physical base changed during the 2010s. It was headquartered in Almere from May 2016 to August 2018 and moved in September 2018 to Groene Afslag in Laren, Netherlands. During this period, MUD Jeans continued to develop product lines using organic cotton and recycled materials, with some products reported to contain up to 40% post-consumer recycled content. In 2019, MUD Jeans began Road to 100, a development program aimed at producing jeans made from 100% post-consumer recycled cotton. Mechanical recycling alone can shorten cotton fibers, limiting the proportion that can be used without affecting fabric strength. The project therefore combined mechanical recycling with chemical recycling, which can preserve or produce longer fibers. MUD Jeans worked with Saxion University of Applied Sciences and Tech for Future, with Recover identified as a major contributor of mechanically recycled fibers. The company reported reaching the 100% recycled-cotton objective in early 2022 and released a documentary series about the work. MUD Jeans expanded its cultural and design profile through a 2022 collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The resulting capsule collection drew on Vincent van Gogh's correspondence and paintings, incorporating lasered handwriting and embroidered references to works such as Almond Blossom and Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat. The collection used a material blend of hemp, post-consumer recycled denim, and organic cotton. Recognition followed from both sustainability and business institutions. MUD Jeans was identified by B Lab as Best for the World in the environment category, meaning its environmental assessment ranked among the top 5% of certified B Corporations according to the supplied reference. In 2022, it also received the Koning Willem I-prijs for sustainable entrepreneurship. The supplied Wikipedia material reports a bankruptcy filing in August 2026. Because no independent filing source is included and the date is future-dated in relation to the historical record, this dossier does not infer whether the brand continued operating afterward.
- 2026
Bankruptcy filing reported
[1]The supplied reference reports a bankruptcy filing in August 2026; the claim is not independently verified in the supplied material.
- 2022
Road to 100 objective reported achieved
[1]MUD Jeans reported achieving its 100% post-consumer recycled-cotton goal and published a documentary series about the project.
- 2022
Van Gogh Museum capsule collection
[1]MUD Jeans partnered with the Van Gogh Museum on a capsule collection using recycled denim, organic cotton, and hemp.
- 2022
Sustainable entrepreneurship award
[1]MUD Jeans received the Koning Willem I-prijs for sustainable entrepreneurship.
- 2019
Road to 100 begins
[1]The brand began developing jeans made from 100% post-consumer recycled cotton.
- 2018
Relocation to Laren
[1]MUD Jeans moved from Almere to Groene Afslag in Laren in September 2018.
- 2016
Headquarters established in Almere
[1]The brand's headquarters were located in Almere from May 2016.
- 2013
Lease A Jeans is introduced
[1]MUD Jeans launched its one-year monthly leasing model, including options to keep, exchange, or return jeans.
- 2012
Bert van Son acquires and relaunches MUD Jeans
[1]Bert van Son acquired and relaunched the brand with a new sustainability and circular-economy vision.
Products and positioning
Sustainable denim, circular economy, recycled materials, repair, and alternative garment ownership.
Jeans
MUD Jeans
The core product range consists of denim jeans designed around lower-impact materials and circular recovery. Depending on the model, MUD Jeans uses organic cotton and post-consumer recycled denim, with cited products containing up to 40% recycled content. The brand also communicates product-level water and carbon impacts through life-cycle assessment work.
Circular service · 2013
Lease A Jeans
Lease A Jeans is a one-year monthly payment model introduced in 2013. At the end of the term, customers can keep the jeans, exchange them for another pair at a 10% monthly discount, or return them. Returned jeans are assessed for repair, vintage resale, upcycling, or fiber recycling.
Recycled-denim jeans · 2022
Road to 100 jeans
Road to 100 was a development project aiming to create jeans made from 100% post-consumer recycled cotton. It combined mechanical recycling with chemical recycling to improve fiber length and preserve durability. MUD Jeans reported reaching the target in early 2022.
Collaboration collection · 2022
Van Gogh Museum capsule collection
This 2022 capsule collection was created with the Van Gogh Museum and incorporated design references to Vincent van Gogh's writing and paintings. The cited material describes denim pieces made from 30% hemp, 20% post-consumer recycled denim, and 50% organic cotton.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Van Gogh Museum capsule collection
Netherlands · Europe
MUD Jeans partnered with the Van Gogh Museum on a capsule collection linking circular denim with references to Vincent van Gogh's letters and artworks.
Outcome. The collection expanded the brand's cultural collaboration and design storytelling.
- 2019Road to 100
Europe
A research and development initiative pursued jeans made entirely from post-consumer recycled cotton, using both mechanical and chemical recycling.
Outcome. MUD Jeans reported achieving the target in early 2022 and documented the work in a documentary series.
- 2013Lease A Jeans
Europe
MUD Jeans introduced a leasing service that keeps customers connected to the brand while creating a structured route for repair, return, resale, and recycling.
Outcome. The concept became the brand's signature circular-economy offering.
Brand decisions
2019
Pursue jeans made from 100% post-consumer recycled cottonProduct launchBackground
Mechanical recycling shortens cotton fibers, creating durability limits for recycled denim. MUD Jeans therefore explored a combination of mechanical and chemical recycling.
Action taken
The brand collaborated with Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Tech for Future, and recycling partners including Recover.
Aftermath
MUD Jeans reported reaching the 100% recycled-cotton objective in early 2022.
2013
Launch Lease A JeansStrategyBackground
The brand sought to move customers from one-time ownership toward a model that encouraged continued use and the return of worn denim.
Action taken
Customers were offered a one-year monthly lease with options to keep, exchange, or return the jeans.
Aftermath
The program established a formal collection route for garments that could be reused, sold as vintage, upcycled, or recycled.
2012
Adopt a circular denim strategyStrategyBackground
After acquiring and relaunching the brand, Bert van Son set a direction focused on sustainable materials, material recovery, and alternatives to conventional garment ownership.
Action taken
MUD Jeans developed leasing, repair, take-back, recycled-material, and life-cycle-assessment programs.
Aftermath
Circular economy became the central organizing principle of the brand's positioning and operations.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Mud Jeans files for bankruptcy[2]
Reported:
Circular denim brand Mud Jeans filed for bankruptcy, according to CEO and co-owner Dion Vijgeboom. The company said it would inform the public through website updates, and new orders have been temporarily paused, raising questions about customer orders and its repair and take-back services.
Sources2 sources
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