STYLE Edit: Why Lil Nas X and Jane Fonda are fans of Gucci’s sustainable, genderless luggage, accessories and ready-to-wear Off the Grid collection
Reused, repaired, recycled or upcycled – the first collection from Gucci’s new Circular Lines initiative uses organic, bio-based and sustainably-sourced materials, and celebrities including Japanese musician Miyavi approve
Continuing its journey towards fashion sustainability, Gucci unveils its Off the Grid collection, to be launched in stores worldwide on June 30. Off the Grid marks the first collection from Gucci’s new Circular Lines initiative, created to support the house’s vision of circular production.
For those who aren’t in the loop, circular fashion refers to an emerging kind of textile economy, where materials are either reused, repaired, recycled or upcycled to mitigate the fashion industry’s waste impact.
According to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, the fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water and is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions.
Michele, as well as many environmental activists and brands concerned with the fashion industry’s environmental footprint, have remarked on the unsustainability of pre-seasonal and seasonal collections.
For Gucci’s Off the Grid collection, genderless luggage, accessories, footwear and ready-to-wear pieces have been made from recycled, organic, bio-based and sustainably-sourced materials.
The majority of products are made from recycled Econyl yarn, high-quality threads created with nylon offcuts and waste such as ghost nets – abandoned fishing nets – and old carpet. These would have otherwise likely ended up in the ocean, harming marine life.
The UN Environment Programme reports that half a million tonnes of synthetic microfibres find their way into the ocean every year. Without a drastic change in the textiles industry, there are predictions that up to 22 million tonnes of microfibres could be added to the ocean by 2050.