Pharrell Williams already has the whole world dancing to his tunes, and he’s about to the make the planet one happy place through fashion.
The first Raw for the Oceans collection, a collaboration between Dutch fashion brand G-Star Raw and music’s man-of-the-moment hits UAE shop shelves this week. The collection, curated by Williams, is made entirely out of Bionic Yarn, a fibre that is made out of plastic retrieved from the sea and is produced by a textile company the musician co-founded.
“When you unite an ambition, it exponentially boosts its power. Our partnership with G-Star and Parley has made it possible to realise a solution to ocean plastic,” said Williams in an interview supplied to tabloid! by the fashion brand. Parley for the Oceans is an organisation dedicated to saving the world’s oceans.
“Our partnership naturally synced from day one. Bionic and G-Star are both progress-fanatics, we’re always looking to take it that step beyond, and that’s exactly what Raw for the Oceans is — a step beyond.”
Including men’s and women’s wear, the collection also includes caps and accessories, all constructed from bionic yarn. Otto the Octopus, that appears in many of the items, is the collaboration’s mascot.
“Raw for the Oceans is more than a collection that helps the environment. The solution to ocean plastic is built-in; everyone shops so why not simultaneously make a wider impact?” Williams added. “The G-Star team are denim experts, it was amazing to work with a team that is so specialised but at the same time so keen to challenge every convention of their industry. In a world full of heritage brands, we knew we wanted to work with a brand known for innovation.”
G-Star Raw, which started as denim brand in the Netherlands, is known for its untreated denim range.
But this is not Williams’ first high-profile collaboration via Bionic Yarn, though. Earlier this year, he partnered with adidas to release a line of shoes and apparel for the adidas Originals line.
And besides his own quirky style (who can forget that hat?), the producer and singer is already an established name in fashion: he owns labels Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream, and has partnered with Uniqlo, Comme des Garçons and Moncler.
Williams was at New York Fashion Week earlier this month to showcase a new spring-summer collection to be available next year.
Wearing his signature hat and clothes from the collection, he told the audience at 23 Wall Street he agreed to be part of this initiative because he wanted to walk the talk.
“It’s very easy to forget we live on this planet,” Pharrell told the crowd. “We don’t want to just talk about it, but we actually wanted to put it in practice.”
This week, he also made his debut on The Voice US, joining returning coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. No Doubt singer, and fellow designer Gwen Stefani makes up the four-team panel.
“Pharrell is a guy that makes you think that he’s this really friendly, you know, a very thoughtful person,” Shelton joked before the premiere of the singing competition’s seventh season. “He’s conniving, he’s sneaky, and he’s very good-looking and he uses that against us.”
For his part, Williams, who is rumoured to be heading to the UAE for a concert soon, says the experience has been ‘magical’.
“We have a different level of talent. Like nothing laughable, you know? ... Like it’s serious. It’s serious competition,” he said.
He added he feels blessed to be a part of projects across different mediums:
“I have been given opportunities by really great companies, and I’ve been given opportunities by really great people,” he said. “I wanted to learn more about what’s out there creatively and how I could further find new ways to express myself.”
The Raw for the Oceans collection will be available at G-Star Raw shops across the UAE from October 1. Call 04-339-9842.