Fashion Week dress that’s got a lot of bottle!
Jodie models outfit made of plastic collected by litter-picking canoeists
FOR an industry which doesn’t always see eye to eye with environmentalists, here is an outfit which makes real fashion sense.
Jodie Kidd models a dress made from dozens of plastic bottles picked up by litter-collecting canoeists and recycled into fabrics.
The paddling environmentalists patrolled rivers, canals and lakes on the lookout for discarded rubbish.
They hit upon the idea of recycling plastic waste into clothing and approached eco fashion designers Vin & Omi.
The duo, major figures in sustainable clothing, created a unique range with all the decorative flowers made from salvaged bottles which were processed into pellets, then textiles.
They tempted supermodel Jodie Kidd out of retirement to launch the collection at London Fashion Week. Canoeing campaigner Clare Osborn said: ‘We arranged for the PET1 plastic bottles to be sent to fashion designers Vin & Omi.
‘They make rubbish look beautiful, while highlighting the problems with our over-consumerist society and high street fast fashion. Our plastic bottle collection was combined with other groups to produce the appliqué flowers that went onto several looks on the catwalk at Fashion Week.
‘It is really important to get the message out to people about the damage litter can do, especially plastics and what better way to do it than get Jodie Kidd to show how they can be recycled.’
Ms Osborn, who founded #PaddleCleanup, wants more people to get out on the waterways and pick up litter.
She said: ‘I have given the Sea Scouts some tools to lead the way, and I’m now working with other paddle communities.’
According to the new Plastic Rivers report from Earthwatch Europe, plastic bottles are now the most prevalent form of plastic pollution in European waterways. Coming in second are food wrappers, like chip bags and sweet wrappers, followed by cigarette butts.
A report last year from environmental group Irish Business Against Litter revealed that just 8% of Irish beaches, harbours and rivers were found to be clean.
Cork Harbour and Doolin Pier in Co. Clare were classified as the worst ‘litter blackspots’ according to the survey.
An Taisce, which carried out the study on IBAL’s behalf, found only four of 50 areas were deemed to be ‘clean to European norms’
Recycling waste into clothing