The Right Way to Sea It – Five Fashionable Initiatives That Save The Oceans
Much has been said and written about the ocean’s poor condition in the past decade, but it appears that the Netflix documentary ‘Seaspiracy’ best exposes the impact of pollution and overfishing on the world’s marine life and coral reefs.
In this documentary, the British filmmaker Ali Tabrizi learns that discarded plastic fishing equipment composes 46 per cent of the “great Pacific garbage patch”. From cotton buds and plastic straws to plastic bottles, the filmmaker highlights the sheer number of plastic that humans contribute to the ocean. The film is already trending in Netflix as one of its Top 10 most watched films and programs, and has been praised by various celebrities.
Since the UN’s global Ocean Day Initiative, aiming to remind us of the oceans’ major role in everyday life, is noted today (June 8th), we decided to focus on 5 brilliant initiatives of producing fashion items while protecting the oceans.
- Fair Harbor – New York-based Fair Harbor produce their original boardshorts using 11 plastic bottles each. The process begins with collecting clear bottles from the ocean, which are then shipped to China, where they undergo intense cleaning. They are then melted down and made into filaments, which are in turn transformed into polyester, resulting in an eco-friendly pair of boardshorts.
- Adidas Parley – A highly branded collection of clothing and footwear originated from the collaboration between Adidas and “Parley for the Oceans”, an organization that addresses environmental threats to the oceans through plastic pollution. After collecting plastic waste from the coastlines, it is then baled and sent to the Parley supply chain, where it’s shredded and reworked to become high-performance polyester yarn, used as a replacement for virgin plastic in the making of all the Adidas x Parley limited sportswear collection.
- KARUN – According to the brand KARUN by Patagonia, ‘nature is the greatest teacher and inventor’, and as such, they have found a way to create a positive impact on the planet by making their sunglasses from fishing nets, reclaimed from the ocean. ‘Ocean’ is also the name given to this collection, which was created along with B Corp Bureo, which makes skateboards out of fishing nets, and with the help of local fishing communities, striving to convert this source of trash, collected on the coasts of Chile, into a source of income.
- Girlfriend Collective – This is an athleisure brand known for their colorful, comfy leggings made from 25 recycled bottles each, which has also launched the LITE Collection, a line that utilizes recycled fishing nets and other waste using ECONYL yarn.
- Mara Hoffman – All Mara Hoffman’s solid swimwear is made with Econyl from pre- and post-consumer waste, while textured bikinis and swimsuits are constructed using Repreve – a polyester fiber made of 100% recycled plastic. Hoffman explains that compared to conventional fibers, these styles offset the use of new petroleum, emitting fewer greenhouse gases and conserving water and energy through the process.
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