Showing posts with label Bionic Yarn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bionic Yarn. Show all posts
Friday, May 8, 2015
Follow Pharrell & i-D's New Documentary, "A Plastic Age," Trailer
We are the plastics—but not like the infamous Regina, Karen, and Gretchen clique. Rather, we’re the generation that’s currently facing the issue of disposing the 288 million tons of plastic we make each year. Pharrell and i-D’s trailer for their new documentary called “The Plastic Age” is here, and it explores a new solution for clearing plastic out of our beloved oceans.
This problem is big. No, it’s huge. This new documentary follows Pharrell and G-Star as they figure out how to repurpose all of this waste. In the Pacific Ocean, there’s an area called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch apparently the size of Texas that’s composed of purely plastic that’s been thrown away, according to i-D. And what happens to that plastic? Well, as i-D puts it, “an estimated 700 million tons of the stuff has ended up in the big blue, worked its way up the food chain and ultimately into the blood of human kind.” There is plastic in our bodies. Not cool.
Last year, Pharrell announced that he would be partnering up with G-Star Raw in a project called “Raw for the Oceans.” This particular project focuses on Bionic Yarn, a textile producer that converts plastic into fiber, and uses that fiber to make clothing. How effing cool is that? And, according to Complex, Bionic Yarn has already collaborated with the NBA and Burton.
The documentary, which is directed by Jake Summer, explores RAW for the Oceans, a “partnered initiative from Palrye for the Oceans, G-Star RAW, and Bionic Yarn.” The one-minute trailer shows just how much plastic is caught in our oceans. A disheartening sight. But the short trailer also shows how the plastic-into-fiber process looks like. And Pharrell, the creative director, states “I’m not a pessimist when it comes to this. I see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Fashion faces its dirty secret
According to a Danish Fashion Institute report, fashion is the world's second-most polluting industry, after oil. A quarter of the chemicals that the world produces are used in textiles – from pesticides used on cotton to petrochemicals used to make nylon and polyester. It's a huge consumer of water (making a single pair of jeans takes 7,000 litres) and after agriculture, it's the biggest polluter of clean water.
These days the topic is a pressing issue for the industry as Michael Schragger, executive director of the Sweden-based Sustainable Fashion Academy, explains: "There is the energy being used, the greenhouse gas emissions that result from running factories and the huge amount of water and chemicals used during textile production. Then there are the issues related to animal welfare and land use – if you are growing cotton, are you competing for the land with food growers? – and labour issues and living conditions for workers to consider."
Fashion companies have responded and 18 including Burberry, H&M and Marks & Spencer have committed to weeding toxic chemicals out of their supply chains, while M&S has an extensive programme called Plan A that is already in its eighth year
Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of H&M, wrote in the 117-page sustainability report the firm produced last year: "Our business idea is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. It's about the best value, not the cheapest price. Sustainability is an important part of this."
It all sounds excitingly progressive, particularly when you read about the "bionic" yarn that is being spun from the recycled marine plastic, or initiatives such as trousers that are tough enough to make lasting workwear, but will vanish in months when packed into a domestic composter.
But think how strong the anti-fur movement seemed a decade ago, and yet fur has inched its way back onto the catwalks and into acceptance. Could sustainability go to the same way? What if the fashion consumers of tomorrow stop thinking the cause is cool?
It doesn't really matter if sustainability stops being fashionable, argues Michael Schragger. "There can be clear business risks to not-addressing sustainability issues and that alone should drive the movement forward. Initiatives like Adidas's marine plastic are their way of keeping sustainability interesting for the consumer. These may be passing fads but sustainability is not. It's more than here to stay because of the global mega-trends such as water use and pollution that are affecting every industry."
Factor those mega trends in along with consumer accountability, and with any luck bionic yarn from marine plastic will just be the start.
From the sea to sales
So how does plastic waste harvested from the oceans become fashion? Fibres made from recycled plastic are woven into durable textiles, and the resulting yarn is much stronger than cotton. The trendiest of these projects, Bionic Yarn, has Pharrell Williams as its creative director. "I have a connection with the ocean," he says. "It yields so much life including our own, so we owe it." The result of his collaboration with denim brand G-Star Raw is in the shops now. And the amount of plastic in the oceans is thought to cover 700,000 square kilometres, so we could be seeing a lot of bionic yarn in future.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Sea Shepherd Spearheads Cleaning Up the Oceans
Published in the Huffington Post
Join me for another segment of SOS from Los Angeles, California as I show how problem solvers and innovators are turning ocean plastics into high-performance denim.
For every problem there are at least three solutions. Let me tell you of one very exciting solution that's turning ocean plastic into fashion and making a difference.
G-Star is transforming ocean plastic into high performance denim that feel and ages just like traditional denim.
Kudos to Sea Shepherd for using scientific innovation and awareness-building to mobilize teams from around the globe to clean up the oceans and our beaches.
Join Earth Dr Reese Halter in his crusade to protect our planet by watching Earth Calling SOS.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Dutch denim group G-Star to make jeans from ocean plastic waste
From Blue To Green: Inside Pharrell's Latest Fashion Venture
American
singer and producer Pharrell Williams has joined forces with Dutch
denim company G-Star and textile group Bionic Yarn to make jeans from
plastic collected from the world’s oceans.
The ‘RAW for the Oceans’ line will use denim made of plastic yarns from materials removed from the oceans and will be sold in some G-Star shops as an exclusive collection.
The collection, co-designed by Pharrell, will be launched in August.
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/02/dutch_denim_group_g-star_to_ma.php#sthash.tq4M3Upp.dpuf
Published Feb. 10, 2014 on Forbes.com by Zack O'Malley GreenbergThe ‘RAW for the Oceans’ line will use denim made of plastic yarns from materials removed from the oceans and will be sold in some G-Star shops as an exclusive collection.
The collection, co-designed by Pharrell, will be launched in August.
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/02/dutch_denim_group_g-star_to_ma.php#sthash.tq4M3Upp.dpuf
Halfway between Japan and North America, a swirling vortex of trash known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch occupies a slice the ocean’s surface twice the size of Texas. It’s not visible via satellite and is often hard to discern with the naked eye, mostly because it’s made up of pieces of clear plastic in various states of degradation.
These materials come from bags, bottles and other mundane household items, but the consequences of their presence are dire. Half of the 400,000 albatrosses born every year in the nearby Midway Atoll die after consuming plastic they’ve mistaken for food. Over 250 species suffer similar fates–or ingest garbage and send it all the way up the food chain. A dead whale recently washed up near Seattle with a stomach full of plastic bags, surgical gloves, duct tape and a pair of pants.
Oddly enough, clothing may be part of the solution to this problem, thanks to Pharrell Williams. The superproducer earned headlines in recent weeks for his Grammy night haberdashery, but his latest fashion move could make even larger waves. He’s helping G-Star design and launch a new line of clothing made from yarn sourced from recycled ocean plastic. Dubbed Raw For The Oceans, the collaboration will hit stores this summer. The inspiration dates back to his involvement with the Live Earth concerts many years ago.
“When I got there I was struck by all the people who were so into the cause, and what it really meant,” he told a crowd gathered beneath a giant blue whale at the Museum of Natural History last weekend. “I said to myself, ‘Maybe there’s something I could do, let me find something that makes sense for me.’ [Raw For The Oceans] was an interesting thing that popped up, and it was the first thing that made sense.”
The story begins about a year ago, when Bionic Yarn—which Williams co-owns—started talks with G-Star, together with ocean pollution awareness outfit Parley. Williams and other key players met in Berlin to discuss a collaboration, proposing a simple question with a complex answer: Can you make denim out of recycled ocean plastic?
“It’s Pharrell, so you say ‘yes,’ of course,” says G-Star CMO Thecla Schaeffer. “Since then, we’ve been on this creative journey to get the plastic out of the ocean and then to integrate it into denim that’s as beautiful and feels as good as regular denim.”
To make Raw For The Oceans happen, G-Star had to turn its entire supply chain upside down. Instead of purchasing fabrics from mills, the company had to go all the way back to the raw materials. That meant working with outfits like Bionic Yarn, Parley for the Oceans and the Vortex Project, which finds new ways to extract plastic from the water.
The process for making clothing out of this material begins in the water with the collection of plastic, and continues as Bionic Yarn breaks down the material into tiny chips, then yarn. G-Star also had to run tests with its mills to make sure the yarn would work in their machines. So far, so good.
Next up: the design phase—and even more hands-on involvement from Williams.
“We buy the yarn from him and he co-designs the collection with us,” explains Schaeffer. “It’s very personal and goes very deep. He’s very much involved in the zippers and the colors of the items.”
The multi-year, seven-figure deal calls for Williams to earn a per-unit royalty, most of which he’ll contribute to the Vortex Project. In addition to launching capsule collections with Williams, who also boasts clothing brands Ice Cream and Billionaire Boys Club, G-Star is looking to integrate Bionic Yarn into all of its lines.
That’s good news for the species affected by the plastic buildup in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—and the citizens of Earth on the whole.
“If the oceans die,” said Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, at last weekend’s event, “we die.”
Meanwhile, Williams will continue his work as a musician, starting with the launch of his latest single, “Happy.” Should we expect to see him show up at next year’s Grammys in a Raw For The Oceans hat made out of recycled plastic?
Says Williams: “You never know.”
From Dutchnews :
American singer and producer Pharrell Williams has joined
forces with Dutch denim company G-Star and textile group Bionic Yarn to make
jeans from plastic collected from the world’s oceans.
The ‘RAW for the Oceans’ line will use denim made of plastic
yarns from materials removed from oceans and will be sold in some G-Star shops
as an exclusive collection.
The collection, co-designed by Pharrell, will be launched in
August.
Raw from the Oceans screengrab from promotional video
Pharrell Williams partners with G-Star Raw to promote awareness about plastic pollution
It's Fashion Week in New York City, so there's no
shortage of fashion-related celebrity buzz. But here's one you might
not have seen coming: musician Pharrell Williams is now the creative
director of a recycled textiles maker, Bionic Yarn. The company is
partnering with G-Star Raw to launch a new collection during Fashion
Week, called Raw for the Ocean.
Bionic Yarn is made from recycled plastic PET, some of which is extracted from the ocean. One of the goals of the line is to raise awareness about the massive plastics pollution problem. Fittingly, the mascot of the collection is an octopus.
Here's what Pharrell has to say about it:
It's my understanding that extracting plastics from the ocean is a logistical nightmare, so it's good that Bionic is not only working to do that but also putting the material to use. What's even better is that when the clothes wear out, the fabric can be recycled by separating the cotton from the polyester.
Schaeffer said G-Star Raw and Bionic are planning to continue collaborating in the future. "This is a long-term creative exploration to innovate denim and make a real impact against plastic pollution," she said. "Together with Pharrell, we will launch a new Bionic collection each season. Next to those collections, we are planning to integrate Bionic Yarn in as much product as we can."
We look forward to seeing more of the collection, which will be in stores in July.
Bionic Yarn is made from recycled plastic PET, some of which is extracted from the ocean. One of the goals of the line is to raise awareness about the massive plastics pollution problem. Fittingly, the mascot of the collection is an octopus.
Here's what Pharrell has to say about it:
"Through the collaboration between Bionic Yarn and G-Star, we are making sustainable products more accessible for everyone. By creating yarn from oceans' plastic, we are actually moving things forward within the fashion industry."Thecla Schaeffer at G-Star Raw explains that the Bionic material is just like denim. "The Bionic yarn is coiled with cotton. When you feel the fabric it feels as soft as regular denim. And it looks like regular denim."
It's my understanding that extracting plastics from the ocean is a logistical nightmare, so it's good that Bionic is not only working to do that but also putting the material to use. What's even better is that when the clothes wear out, the fabric can be recycled by separating the cotton from the polyester.
Schaeffer said G-Star Raw and Bionic are planning to continue collaborating in the future. "This is a long-term creative exploration to innovate denim and make a real impact against plastic pollution," she said. "Together with Pharrell, we will launch a new Bionic collection each season. Next to those collections, we are planning to integrate Bionic Yarn in as much product as we can."
We look forward to seeing more of the collection, which will be in stores in July.
http://www.bionicyarn.com
Tuesday 11 February 2014
American singer and producer Pharrell Williams has joined forces with Dutch denim company G-Star and textile group Bionic Yarn to make jeans from plastic collected from the world’s oceans.
The ‘RAW for the Oceans’ line will use denim made of plastic yarns from materials removed from the oceans and will be sold in some G-Star shops as an exclusive collection.
The collection, co-designed by Pharrell, will be launched in August.
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/02/dutch_denim_group_g-star_to_ma.php#sthash.tq4M3Upp.dpuf
American singer and producer Pharrell Williams has joined forces with Dutch denim company G-Star and textile group Bionic Yarn to make jeans from plastic collected from the world’s oceans.
The ‘RAW for the Oceans’ line will use denim made of plastic yarns from materials removed from the oceans and will be sold in some G-Star shops as an exclusive collection.
The collection, co-designed by Pharrell, will be launched in August.
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/02/dutch_denim_group_g-star_to_ma.php#sthash.tq4M3Upp.dpuf
Tuesday 11 February 2014
American singer and producer Pharrell Williams has joined forces with Dutch denim company G-Star and textile group Bionic Yarn to make jeans from plastic collected from the world’s oceans.
The ‘RAW for the Oceans’ line will use denim made of plastic yarns from materials removed from the oceans and will be sold in some G-Star shops as an exclusive collection.
The collection, co-designed by Pharrell, will be launched in August.
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/02/dutch_denim_group_g-star_to_ma.php#sthash.tq4M3Upp.dpuf
American singer and producer Pharrell Williams has joined forces with Dutch denim company G-Star and textile group Bionic Yarn to make jeans from plastic collected from the world’s oceans.
The ‘RAW for the Oceans’ line will use denim made of plastic yarns from materials removed from the oceans and will be sold in some G-Star shops as an exclusive collection.
The collection, co-designed by Pharrell, will be launched in August.
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/02/dutch_denim_group_g-star_to_ma.php#sthash.tq4M3Upp.dpuf
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