Prada Nylon Bags Get Reinvented With An Eco-Friendly Touch

As discussions around sustainability and ethical responsibility intensify, more brands are working to implement a lasting positive impact – including Prada. Close on the heels of its announcement in May to discontinue the use of fur, the luxury Godmother of global fashion continues its pace with the launch of Re-Nylon, an eco-friendly line of iconic nylon bag silhouettes executed in a progressive new material Econyl; a pure regenerated fiber obtained through recycling plastic waste collected from oceans, fishnets and other nylon excess.

Re-Nylon is a bold move towards the brand’s ultimate goal of converting all Prada virgin nylon into sustainable, regenerated Econyl by 2021. The collection reintroduces six classic styles for men and women: the belt bag, the shoulder bag, a tote, duffle, and two Prada backpacks (our personal fave). Produced entirely from environmentally-friendly materials, such as discarded plastic collected from landfill sites across the planet, the range is a chic re-interpretation of the signature triangular Prada logo that we all love and covet.

Each iconic nylon bag undergoes an intense production process, that starts with gathering waste material (read: Fishing nets, carpets and industrial waste) which is sorted and cleaned to maximise the quantity of recuperated nylon. The material is then put through a chemical de-polymerization procedure, where the nylon waste is recycled back to its original purity. It doesn’t end there. At production plants in Ljubljana, Slovenia and Arco, the recycled materials are further re-transformed into polymers and threads through a new polymerization process. All this culminates into unique pieces crafted with a mix of materials, featuring contemporary designs and a signature logo in five different colourways representing five different continents.

As part of the launch, the brand has documented the cutting-edge processes behind the Re-Nylon with “What We Carry,” a series of videos in partnership with National Geographic, which features Prada reporters, global activists, and National Geographic explorers. Each of the five episodes take viewers 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-friendly fabric. In the second episode, South Sudanese-Australian model Adut Akech returned to Africa for the first time in many years to visit Cameroon and film with Joe Cutler, a National Geographic explorer and freshwater conservationist. Together, they explored the nets found in Lake Ossa, that are recycled and transformed into new Econyl regenerated nylon.

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Well, we personally can’t wait to go green with Prada’s nylon bags. You can get yours here.