THE JOURNAL
SPACE AVAILABLE for RE3 Workshop Program promoting circular design. Image courtesy of SPACE AVAILABLE
The saying goes: waste not, want not. But what if we could produce covetable items from the stuff we throw away? That’s at the heart of several projects that form part of our Small World collection, which champions craft, community and local artisans from around the globe. Small World is a celebration of global artisans that are making small-batch products in more responsible and sustainable ways. All of the brands in the edit align with the values of MR PORTER’s Craftsmanship Code, our new set of environmental and social principles to help you make more considered wardrobe choices. But several have gone even further and are exploring innovative and exciting new routes to sustainability.
It’s not quite a war on waste. Think of it instead as lovingly restoring what we might think unsalvageable to new glories. Some have travelled to the depths of the oceans to rescue discarded fishing nets – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised what they’ve managed to spin this plastic waste into. Others have taken an innovative approach to a wide range of materials destined for the scrapheap, from deadwood to discarded material and even out-of-action military gear. The results will delight you as much as the time, effort and techniques it takes to achieve the final product. Trust us when we say, you’ll want this waste.
01.
11.11/eleven eleven
The brand making something out of scraps
Sustainability is woven into every step of the process at 11.11/eleven eleven. For more than a decade, the India-based brand has fostered a handmade approach to clothing, producing small batch, slow-made men’s and womenswear, using 100 per cent natural ingredients, working with local kantha fabric artisans while taking pains to ensure they produce zero waste in the process.
Now the brand has taken that zero-waste approach inside, for a textiles collection that forms part of the Small World collection. Patchwork quilts are produced from left over scraps of cloth, a practice, which arose historically when material shortages called for inventive salvaging of fabric remnants. “Engaging kantha and patchwork as a design decision reflects a zero-waste approach,” says Ms Mia Morikawa, cofounder of the brand. “Making sure that each and every last piece of fabric is assigned value.”
Not only is remnant fabric used in the quilts, even the smallest snippets of what is left behind are then pulped and pressed into handmade paper for use in 11.11/eleven eleven’s notebooks, hang tags and correspondence. It means that even when talking about sustainability, this is a brand which also walks the walk.
02.
Space Available
The brand making more out of plastic waste
Most of us think of waste as just that. But Bali-based brand Space Available feels differently about the things we discard. “We work within circular design, using waste as a resource,” says Mr Daniel Mitchell, creator of the sustainable creative platform. “We want to change the perception of ‘waste’ – and bring value to it hopefully instigate change.”
The change envisioned by Space Available is a more sustainable future, powered by its ethos of “Education, Conversation and Collaboration”. It’s that latter part of the equation that comes to the fore for the platform’s part in Small World. Homewares, including the Peggy Chair, which is exclusive to MR PORTER, are the result of a collaboration with South Korean DJ Peggy Gou. Made of 100 per cent waste plastic, there’s a nifty spot to store magazines or vinyl so you know exactly where your records are, as well as where the waste has gone.
03.
Double Eleven
The brand putting military stock back in action
Sustainability is increasingly part of our everyday routines; at Double Eleven it’s a military operation. For the brand’s 100-piece capsule for MR PORTER, it has repurposed vintage military shelter-half tents and US Air Force parachutes (circa 1950-1980) to make jackets and trousers.
It’s true to the spirit of Double Eleven, which was founded by Mr Nathan Bogle in 2015 with the express purpose of reducing the environmental impact of producing utility clothing. The capsule operates to the strictest rules of engagement: no virgin textiles were used to make the collection; buttons, zips and labels are the only “new” additions. Repurposing removes the need for resources associated with making new textiles, such as water, energy, transport, labour and chemicals, which Bogle estimates reduces the brand’s environmental impact by approximately 90 per cent.
The regeneration process also produces one-of-a-kind style. “These textiles are very rare, all in mint condition and were sourced from various suppliers and specialist dealers throughout the US. Any additional textiles we needed, such as silk linings and cotton pocketing, were sourced from designer deadstock supplies,” says Bogle. “Each piece is one of a kind due to the fact that each tent or parachute has its own unique markings and characteristics from its time in field or sky.”
04.
True Tribe
The brand that goes fishing for waste
True Tribe’s swim and activewear is so good you won’t have to go fishing for compliments. But it turns out the brand, which opened its atelier in Pakistan’s Indus Valley in 2018, brought in a catch from the seas to create the pieces. True Tribe uses regenerated nylon made from discarded fishing nets and other plastic waste from European seas and the Indian Ocean to produce its swim and activewear collections.
The Paris-based brand works in collaboration with Econyl, a pioneer in plastic waste regeneration. Econyl regeneration begins with rescuing plastic waste found in the oceans, which makes up 40 per cent of all plastic pollution, mostly fishing nets. Using synthetic fabrics from recycled yarn reduces water consumption and helps divert plastic waste from the oceans. It also, with its durability and smooth hand-feel, is quite the catch, making it a natural fit for MR PORTER’s Small World collection.
05.
SSAM
The brand resurrecting deadwood
At SSAM, there is no such thing as deadwood. The lifestyle label, launched by Common Projects cofounder Mr Flavio Girolami, stands for Small Artisanal Manufacturers. The extra “S” originally stood for “Save”, a reference to the local Italian artisans skills Girolami wished to rescue from obscurity when he founded the brand.
Salvaging is also an ethos that runs through SSAM’s contribution to the Small World collection. The clothing, lifestyle and homeware label reworks waste that accumulates during silk production into raw silk material. It uses repurposed machinery from the 1970s, which gives more options for producing small batches and creating fabrics with a feel and quality that’s markedly different from industrial line results.
Then there is that deadwood we mentioned – waste pieces of wood that have been reimagined as a wood chair and tennis rackets that come with a reused tennis ball. It all speaks to SSAM’s brand philosophy to sustain artisanal practices, keep alive traditional ways of working and reduce waste as much as possible. It’s best surmised by its founder Girolami, who doesn’t waste his words: “SSAM is a new way of sustainable living focusing on the quality of life.” It sounds good to us.