Friday 15th June 2018
Credit: Christopher Daw Photography
Planet-saving fashion warriors, Vin and Omi had single-use plastic saved just in the nick of time by Paper Round during London Fashion Week Men’s. The pair planted bins, designed by students of London College of Fashion, around the grounds of BFC Show Space in London, during the launch of the BIN 2 BODY project on 9th June.
Paper Round stepped in at the eleventh hour to make collections of the bottles and save them to support the project. The bottles will be recycled into material for future designs, which will be showcased at London Fashion Week in September 2018.
The award-winning duo hit the headlines in 2017 with their fashion show, led by icon Debbie Harry, and have become a force for good in the world of fashion, dressing huge household names such as Michelle Obama and Kate Moss. Their unique designs are made from textiles that mimic varied fabrics but are borne from recovered materials and created as part of social and environment projects, around the world.
Bill Swan, Managing Director at Paper Round, said, ‘We were happy to help Vin and Omi, we are big believers in sustainable fashion. We look forward to supporting the project and seeing designs that result from the plastic bottles we collected’.
Since 2004 Vin and Omi have developed a range of unique textile that focus on sustainable, eco-processes. These include:
- Development of a range of rPET textiles from silk-like finishes to wool. Their rPET is made from salvaged plastic.
- No-kill fleece, obtained from pet animals who live on smallholdings in the UK . These animals live out their natural lifespan.
- Sustainable eco latex. Own latex fabric sourced from a VIN + OMI funded rubber plantation in Malaysia. The small village that works on the plantation survives from the proceeds of the rubber harvesting. The trees are ‘milked’ to extract the rubber and are not destroyed. The natural latex sheeting produced has other natural ingredients added to produce a more elastic, yet breathable, biodegradable latex.
- Chesnut ‘leather’ made from the skins of the chestnut and horse chestnut. This animal leather substitute is durable and waterproof. Natural pigment can be added to produce a range of colours.
‘Consumers are becoming much more aware of where and how their clothing is produced. They are also conscious of how decisions they make can impact on the planet. The fashion industry needs to respond quickly.’ VIN + OMI
For more information about the projects Vin & Omi are involved in, visit www.vinandomi.com
