Prada is launching a range of six recycled nylon bags in a new initiative dubbed "Re-Nylon," The Business of Fashion reports. The move is part of a wider goal to only use repurposed nylon by 2021.
The collection will take six classic Prada bag silhouettes, including the belt bag, shoulder bag, and two backpacks, and refashion them from reclaimed sources such as ocean plastics, fishing nets, and textile fiber waste. The brand hopes to roll out this approach across the board in the next few years, a goal that would see all 700,000 meters of nylon used every year by the company go green.
“It’s a massive reduction of nylon and a big impact in terms of sustainability,” Prada Group's head of marketing and communication Lorenzo Bertelli told BoF. "We want to do things not just for marketing reasons, but seriously, in big numbers."
The move is a huge deal considering how integral nylon is to the Prada brand, which first incorporated the fabric back in the ’80s, later changing the streetwear landscape as we know it.
“It’s the start of an era for us. We see a lot of demand on the market,” Bertelli added. “I hope every competitor will move to more sustainable manufacturing approaches.”
The bags will apparently retail below their current price points, although no exact pricing or drop date have been revealed as yet. For reference, the current small nylon backpack retails for $1,200.
