California Apparel News

Fashion for Good haslaunched the Untapped Agricultural Waste Project to validate and scale technologies that transform agricultural waste into sustainable textile fibers. The 18-month project brings together Fashion for Good partners Adidas, BESTSELLER, Vivobarefoot and Birla Cellulose as well as six fiber innovators who will develop a variety of different natural fibers and fiber blends with a focus on trialing the highest percentage of agricultural waste while maintaining performance. The first phase of the project ends December 2022, and the next phase will pilot the agri-waste fibers in commercial facilities to produce larger quantities.

Runway of Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit organization working toward a more inclusive fashion industry for people with disabilities, has announced A Fashion Revolution, a one-of-a-kind adaptive fashion show. Presented by Kohl’s, the event will take place at the NeueHouse Studios in Los Angeles on March 8 and showcase adaptive apparel and footwear from brands including Target, Zappos.com, JCPenney, No Limbits, Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive and Stride Rite. The fashion show will feature over 60 models with varying disabilities, ethnicities and backgrounds. The adaptive-apparel market is expected to reach over $400 billion by 2027, and the Runway of Dreams fashion show provides the first opportunity for brands to showcase their adaptive designs on the same runway. “Hollywood is a place that’s synonymous with making dreams come to life, so it seemed fitting that we bring Runway of Dreams to Los Angeles,” said Mindy Scheier, founder and CEO of the Runway of Dreams Foundation.

Wrangler haspartnered with the NFT marketplace LTD.INC to release the first fashion campaign of the Mr. Wrangler NFT collection. The first drop featured 75 digital-only NFTs in honor of Wrangler’s 75th anniversary and are crafted around a denim suit made exclusively for Grammy award–winning artist Leon Bridges. In addition to owning the animated NFT of a signature dance move created by Bridges, the NFT gives access to digital communities and a VIP pass to an invite-only private performance by Bridges during New York Fashion Week in September. The second drop will feature the first physical replica and digital NFT of the denim suit, which is set to be unveiled at a private event at NYFW. LTD.INC is partnering with Offsetra to ensure the Mr. Wrangler NFT collection is a completely carbon-negative project.

Vans has launched the first two installments of its new artist-first brand campaign, These Projects Are Ads for Creativity. Forgoing traditional marketing and advertising campaigns, Vans commissioned artists to go out and bring to life their projects, which will be hosted on the Vans website throughout 2022. The first two installments coincided with Black History Month with the artists being briefed to create work that uplifts Black voices and communities. The Brooklyn N.Y–based charity STOKED, which works with schools to mentor and provide after-school activities for disadvantaged students, hosted a workshop to paint and assemble skateboards for the local community. The second installment featured the band RadKey, who created a music video for its song “P.A.W,” which aims to challenge racial and social discrimination and spark a conversation.