Environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans has turned marine plastic waste from remote island waters into trophies for this year’s edition of The Fashion Awards.
Every winner at The Fashion Awards, which is organised by the British Fashion Council (BFC) and takes place in London, received a trophy designed by Parley for the Oceans in collaboration with emerging set designer Jabez Barlett.
Each of the black plastic trophies is made from the equivalent of approximately 75 plastic bottles, and Parley for the Oceans hopes the design will “encourage positive change within the fashion industry.”
“The trophy stands as a symbol of change and has a direct impact as the materials are derived from the mega-polluter; marine plastic pollution,” the brand told Dezeen.
The bespoke trophies were given out at the annual fundraising award ceremony by the BFC, which took place in London’s Royal Albert Hall on 29 November.
They were constructed using Parley’s Ocean Plastic — a material created from upcycled plastic waste recovered from remote islands, beaches and coastlines by the Parley Global Cleanup Network. The same material has previously been used to create sports shoes such as Adidas’ Terrex hiking boot.
After gathering the marine plastic debris, the material is shredded and reworked into a high-performance polyester yarn. It is then 3D-printed by recycled plastic printers Nagami.
The company used a printing technique that was unveiled at climate conference COP26 earlier this year called The Parley Blueprint Module. Created for use on islands and in remote regions, the robotic system allows people to print on demand anywhere in the world, effectively reducing emissions from imports and exports.
A robotic arm pipes plastic out into coils, turning waste ocean plastic into a chunky, yet sleek trophy. (Read more)
