TURNING THE TIDE ON OCEAN PLASTIC POLLUTION

Retrieved by Parley for the Oceans from shorelines around the world, the RAW for the Oceans collection repurposes approximately 700,000 PET plastic bottles each season through its use of Bionic yarn. Since the collaboration’s inception, partner Parley has cleared 53 tonnes of plastic debris from the coastlines of Indonesia, China’s Hainan, and Australia for this dedicated collaboration.

The starting point of the RAW for the Oceans A/W 15 collection’s design came from a sketch drawn by Pharrell Williams of a face-covering hooded jacket. Merging this jacket with features of a submarine escape suit from G-Star’s archive of military garments, the futuristic Occotis HDD Bomber (available in versions for men and women) was formed.

Nautical inspiration continues through the collection, including a classic men’s pea coat in new raw black denim, and Breton stripe pattern using the initiative’s octopus mascot. This season, jeans and jackets made from the world’s first denim from recycled ocean plastic are distressed and patched, and a special chalky white paint treatment given to the women’s Occo Skinny jeans and short.

RAW for the Oceans is a collection born from the partnership of G-Star RAW, Bionic yarn, and Parley for the Oceans. Parley spearheads an Ocean Plastic program clearing the coastlines of plastic debris, raising awareness of its harm to the environment and developing new materials, product concepts and production methods – of which RAW for the Oceans is a part – and Bionic Yarn (containing recycled ocean plastic) provides the material and technological innovation that transforms the ocean plastic into high quality textiles, which G-Star builds into garments.

The extent of the ocean plastic problem was recently exposed in a documentary by i-D Magazine. Directed by Jake Sumner, The Plastic Age gives shocking insight into the pollution in our oceans, told through the experiences of surfers, scientists, and solution-seekers – including the RAW for the Oceans initiative – and can be seen here.

The RAW for the Oceans collection for Autumn/Winter ’15 is available online and in stores as of 15th August.

G-Star RAW first hit the UAE market in 2005 and now has boutique stores in Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, Mirdif City Centre, and Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai – as well as Yas Mall and Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi.