King of cool and seven-times Grammy-winner Pharrell Williams is on a mission to save the planet. And he wants fashionistas to join the movement to create awareness about pollution issues.
The Happy singer curated the “conscious denim” collection named “Raw for the Oceans” – a collaboration between his eco-material company Bionic Yarn and the Dutch-based denim brand G-Star Raw to support The Vortex Project.
The Vortex Project recycles waste from oceans and shorelines and reuses it for yarn, fabric and other elements.
The capsule spring/summer 2015 collection made a debut at the weekend during New York Fashion Week.
G-Star Raw’s global brand director Shubhankar Ray says the collaboration is aimed at making an impact against plastic pollution.
The collection of the Raw for the Oceans initiative has already recycled 10 tons of ocean plastic waste.
“At G-star we are driven by innovation and so the idea of integrating the modern techniques of bionic yarn into our product development was a natural next step in creating denim for the future,” he says.
Since 2008, the denim brand has been experimenting with making collections more sustainable by using cotton alternative fabrics like nettle to make denim and making recycled jeans.
“We are proud to work with Bionic and Williams as collaborators.
“As creative director of Bionic, (Williams) is the perfect cultural catalyst and advocate of this initiative as well as being involved in the design of the collection.
“The main point of the collection is that it uses post-consumer waste like ocean plastic to make denim… making it the ultimate in sustainable product as it gives a second life to waste,” explains Ray.
“The collection is part of a wider drive to mobilise people and bring awareness to the environmental impact of plastic pollution in our oceans.”
For men and women, the Raw for the Oceans collection features a fitted bomber jacket with an all-over print featuring “Otto” the octopus, the Raw for the Oceans mascot, and a 3D A-crotch all-over print boiler suit.
The collection also includes T-shirts, sweats and caps.
“We invite people to wear the responsibility for the oceans through wearing this iconic jacket,” says Ray. “We made a trench coat in the same all-over print since Williams is a big fan of the trench coat style and he is involved in the design and development of the collection.”
The Raw for the Oceans collections will be on sale from the first week of October at G-Star Raw stores across the country.