Since 1984
The nylon backpack was introduced by Miuccia Prada in 1984 and became one of the brand’s most iconic items. In a world where luxurious goods were mainly made from leather, this “plastic” bag redefined what a fancy accessory could be. Last year, Prada’s interest in the synthetic peaked once again with the launch of Linea Rossa. A collection primarily consisting of nylon items.
Re-Nylon
In a way, Prada has always been sustainable due to the label’s design and quality. You don’t just “throw away” a Prada item, you keep it or you sell it. Therefore, its life span is much longer than that from non luxury brands. This however doesn’t mean that the label can’t step up its game, which is what they are doing right now.
For the Re-Nylon collection, Prada started collaborating with textile yarn producer Aquafil. Together they created ECONYL® nylon, obtained through the recycling and purification process of plastic waste collected from oceans, fishing nets, and textile fiber waste. The goal is to produce all bags in regenerated nylon by 2021. Also, a percentage of revenue from the sale of the Re-Nylon collection will be donated to UNESCO to develop international educational programs about sustainability.
What We Carry
For the Re-Nylon campaign, Prada collaborated with National Geographic. Together they created a video series to outline the story behind the collection. The first two episodes just appeared online, featuring Bonnie Wright and Adut Akech. They visit respectively a recycling plant in Arizona and a facility in Cameroon that collects fishing nets to be made into Econyl.
Follow Prada along on their sustainability journey via Prada’s website.
Photo credits: Prada / video credits: National Geographic
