Stars like Adrienne Bailon as well as Joe Jonas, Tyson Beckford and The Wanted‘s Siva Kaneswaran came out in support to Raw for the Oceans Event held at American Museum of Natural History hosted by G – Star & Pharrell Williams during NYFW.
Pharrell, who is also a fashion designer and has two brands named Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream, partnered with Dutch denim label to create the denim line called Raw for the Oceans. The collection features a unique blend of materials – recycled plastic PET taken from the ocean, and cotton – that is developed by Bionic Yarn, a sustainable textiles firm of which Williams is the creative director.
Bionic Yarn specializes in the development and manufacturing of the eco-fabric. The firm collects the discarded plastic waste from the ocean and processes it into recycled fibres, which is then configured to the desired fabric, either mixing it with cotton for denim or wool and other natural blends for suit fabrics.
G-Star Raw and Williams are driving the creative and commercial aspects of the collection. Williams, at the unveiling event at the American Museum of Natural History, commended the Dutch firm for participating in the collaboration, explaining how it is not always that a “big force in fashion” cares about the environment. Still, they came on board and “just turned on the turbo boost buttons”, he added.
Raw for the Oceans is also done in partnership with The Vortex Project, an initiative of Parley for the Oceans, a coalition of different sectors such as artists, activists, scientists for marine conservation.
According to the Project, recent studies have indicated that at least 40 million pounds of plastic have accumulated and are floating in the North Pacific Ocean alone, and that more plastic waste are converging in five huge gyres or whirlpools scattered around the world. The challenge is to retrieve all this plastic and save the marine ecosystem, primarily through sustainable consumer products that “carry the story of ocean plastic pollution into the world”.
The Raw for the Oceans denim collection is one example, especially with its brand power by association. Williams, who won with Daft Punk at the recent Grammy Awards, noted that this collaboration will hopefully put the spotlight to the global problem of ocean pollution and marine degradation.
“Working with G-Star was an obvious choice, because they have a legacy of pushing the boundaries of fashion and denim forward,” explained Pharrell. “Bionic Yarn is a company built around performance, and denim is the perfect category to show the world what Bionic Yarn can do. Everyone has jeans in their closet.”
The first collection is set to launch online and in G-Star stores on August 15, but it you’re already excited, the video above explains the collaboration further, set to Williams’s recent hit “Happy.
Check out more information on the ‘RAW for Oceans’ site here: www.g-star.com/rawfortheoceans