20 January 2025 |
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Sadie Sink, they highlight the importance of ocean conservation.
Every breaking wave in the ocean is a reminder of the smallness of humankind and their outsized power in affecting the future of our world. Swimmers are devoured in each crest while human-produced trash is spit back out with every crash. It’s a darkly poetic way to think about climate change and it also happens to be a scene straight from Prada’s Re-Nylon documentary campaign, made in collaboration with National Geographic CreativeWorks. In its third season, the latest series of four videos feature Benedict Cumberbatch and Sadie Sink to discuss advocacy for ocean conservation and a more thoughtful, circular coexistence.
In the debut video, Cumberbatch along with Goodwill Ambassador Valentina Gottlieb and Salt Group Manager of Marine Litter Carl Höjman guide viewers through the dramatic coastline of Lofoten, Norway, an archipelago that sits at the base of the Arctic Ocean. Despite being the world’s smallest ocean, it serves a critical role in circulating currents, regulating weather, and providing habitats to sea animals. Salt Group has focused its efforts here, galvanizing professionals and volunteers to clean the beaches in addition to its more systemic efforts to improve fishing practices and end the ghost fishing caused by abandoned nets. But to effectively make an impact, plastic wasted needs to be reduced and recycled. That’s where Re-Nylon comes in. Made from Econyl fabric in partnership with the Italian textile manufacturer Aquafil, the pieces transform discarded carpet, used fishnet, and textile waste sourced from oceans and landfills into usable nylon yarn.
The latest iteration of this initiative consists of a series of tweaked hits, designer cutlery, and cocoon silhouettes, all nylon-ified. The collection features bomber coats, square scoop neck mini-dresses, picnic kits, Bermuda shorts, and shoulder bags made to move through the very nature they originate from. Full of fun and hyper-functional clothing with key rings, multiple pockets, and made using entirely recycled nylon, this collection is giving waste a purposeful second act. A portion of proceeds from the collection goes to benefit Sea Beyond, an initiative made in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO) to provide educational programming on ocean conservation and pollution mitigation.
Future videos will feature Sadie Sink alongside Sea Beyonders and Goodwill Ambassador Giovanni Chimienti, as well as other local National Geographic experts to discuss environmental conservation in Mexico. Through the Re-Nylon campaigns, Prada visualizes a new future for nylon. Created as a technological wonder to make lives more convenient, Re-Nylon is now also in the practice of reducing and rewriting the background of waste. The objects from this collection are creating beauty from the garbage found across all the locations featured in these videos and worldwide to bring the world closer to a zero-waste future. May other brands follow suit.
