Pharrell Williams unveils plans for environmentally-friendly denim collection

Hip-hop star Pharrell Williams is helping to clean up the world’s oceans by turning plastic waste material collected from the water into denim jeans. The Happy hitmaker and entrepreneur has teamed up with officials at eco-thread firm Bionic Yarn to create an environmentally-friendly collection for G-Star Raw, titled Raw for the Oceans, which will launch in August (14).
G-Star Raw designers have also pledged to eventually incorporate Bionic Yarn materials into all of their existing products to make use of the plastic that is polluting oceans around the globe.
Williams tells WWD.com, “Working with G-Star was an obvious choice, because they have a legacy of pushing the boundaries of fashion and denim forward. Bionic Yarn is a company built around performance, and denim is the perfect category to show the world what Bionic Yarn can do. Everyone has jeans in their closet…
“We (Bionic Yarn and G-Star Raw) are trying to infiltrate the entire spectrum of fashion, high-end and low. It’s a part of sustainability and the cause is to never throw anything (plastics and trash) into the ocean again. The ocean is just one part of the earth we’re concentrating on, but the world is made up of 75 to 80 per cent water. It’s a huge place to start.”
Williams is no stranger to the fashion world – he also co-founded the Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream street wear brands.