72,000 Evian Water Bottles Went Into This Refreshingly Timeless Tennis Line
These Evian bottles have been to places, from the French Alps to tennis courts—but never to landfills.
Last year, the mineral water brand joined hands with Rothy’s—a fashion label that upcycles old plastic bottles and post-consumer recycled materials into threads—to collect Evian bottles at New York City stadiums during the 2021 US Open.
With Evian being the event’s water sponsor, naturally, there were many of those lying around. They ended up taking in 72,000 bottles.
The leftover plastic is now starting afresh as the star component in a chic, seven-piece selection of tennis bags, shoes, hats, and visors.
To go from bottle to bag, the collected Evian bottles are first cleaned and then blended with other recycled plastics. Rothy’s proprietary 3D-knitting machines turn this mixture into threads that are then woven into the pieces.
The result is a “beautifully refreshing” series “just like natural spring water,” describes Rothy’s on its website.
The range sports a tastefully minimal color palette of white, navy, red, and pink—a deliberate decision made not just to reference the Evian brand but to also ensure these pieces never go out of style. By remaining timeless, they’ll more likely remain in closets and not in the trash, Lavion Gibson, Rothy’s director of product design in footwear and accessories, tells Fast Company.
To keep things sparkly-fresh, all the items are washable “so those tennis whites will always look new,” says Rothy’s.
By giving its bottles a second lease of life, Evian hopes customers will see just how circular single-use materials can be and become more proactive with their recycling.
The Rothy’s x Evian capsule is now shoppable on the Rothy’s website, timed just days ahead of this year’s US Open. Prices range from US$75, for a visor, to US$495, for a duffel bag.
Both brands have a shared mission that’s as clear as water. Rothy’s and Evian intend to be circular by 2023 and 2025 respectively.
[via Fast Company and WWD, images via Rothy’s]
