Co-owner and CEO Dion Vijgeboom announced the decision on LinkedIn, stating the financial burden of historic debt ultimately proved “too great to overcome”.
“Today is one of the hardest days in the history of Mud Jeans. With great sadness, we have to share that MUD Jeans has been declared bankrupt, following the bankruptcy filing we submitted ourselves,” said Vijgeboom.
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Founded in 2012, Mud Jeans claims to be the first circular denim brand in the world, recognised for its ‘Lease A Jeans’ model.
The company is based in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, and, according to its LinkedIn profile, has 11-50 employees and 40 associated members.
The brand produced jeans using recycled cotton and introduced repair and take-back services before such practices became widely adopted in the industry.
The bankruptcy filing follows a recent crowdfunding campaign launched by Mud Jeans last month, which aimed to raise €300,000 ($343,000) to strengthen working capital and inventory management, as well as to support growth in the Netherlands, Belgium, and the DACH region.
In 2024, it completed a community funding round, generating €1m from 800 investors.
The company’s website indicates it is currently undergoing maintenance, pausing new purchases temporarily. Orders already placed will still be shipped.
Vijgeboom continued: “This is not the ending we fought for. Over the past months, our team worked tirelessly to build a sustainable future for this company. We believed there was a way forward. But despite all our efforts, the financial burden of historic debt ultimately proved too great to overcome.”
Vijgeboom added that while the decision is painful, he hopes this bankruptcy is not the “final chapter” for Mud Jeans.
“MUD Jeans is more than a company. It is an idea, a community and a blueprint for what the future of fashion can look like. We believe this brand, its products, its community and everything it stands for deserve a future. Some stories deserve another chapter. We sincerely hope MUD Jeans is one of them,” he said.
