As discussions around sustainability and ethical responsibility (at long last!) move to the forefront of the fashion industry, more brands are working to implement lasting, positive change — including Prada. In May, the luxury Godmother of global fashion announced the brand would no longer use fur. And this week, Prada’s 21st century evolution continues apace with the launch of Re-Nylon, an eco-friendly line of iconic bag silhouettes executed in a progressive new nylon, Econyl, a 100% regenerated fiber from fishnets and other nylon excess. The Prada Re-Nylon collection reintroduces six classic styles for men and women: the belt bag, the shoulder bag, a tote, duffle, and two Prada backpacks (our personal picks, btw). The entire collection is produced from environmentally-friendly materials, and features a chicre-interpretation of the signature triangular Prada logo we all know and covet.
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“Our ultimate goal will be to convert all Prada virgin nylon into Re-Nylon by the end of 2021,” said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Head of Marketing and Communications. “This project highlights our continued efforts towards promoting a responsible business. [And,] this collection will allow us to make our contribution and create products without using new resources.”
As part of the launch, the brand will also showcase the cutting-edge processes behind the Re-Nylon through “What We Carry,” a series of videos in partnership with National Geographic. Each of the five episodes will take the viewer through each material that makes up Econyl yarn, revealing the inner workings of the factories and facilities that produce this state-of-the-art, planet-loving fabric.
Refinery29 will exclusively premiere each installment, beginning with a trek to Phoenix, Arizona, home of the very first (yes, really) carpet recycling facility in the U.S. which can recycle up to 16,000 metric tons each year. (For context: Shockingly less than 3% of the 1.6 million tons of carpet discarded in the US each year is recycled.) In the video below, Prada’s reporter Bonnie Wright and National Geographic Explorer’s Asher Jay show us one of one of the materials that makes up Econyl.
“I have always had great respect for Mrs. Prada’s ability to re-invent the boundaries of fashion, every look at a Prada show is new and inspired,” Wright tells Refinery29. “Prada is known for their iconic use of nylon, and yet they have recognized that systems within fashion, particularly luxury fashion, need to be rethought as our planet takes priority.”
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Now that’s what we call a brand new bag.
Watch the first episode of “What We Carry” above, and stay tuned for future installments.