Naomi Campbell Says Don’t Put Away Your Loungewear Just Yet

PANGAIA, an eco-friendly label (and everyone’s favorite place to get matching sweatsuits), is constantly launching innovative clothing drops inspired by the environment. For its latest capsule collection, PANGAIA tapped Naomi Campbell to model its AIR-INK designs. The pieces feature items adorned with a dark ink made from toxic air pollution. To explain in layman’s terms the process: PANGAIA worked with the high-tech Graviky Lab to convert one of the most harmful elements found in air pollution — PM 2.5. particulate matter — into a safe-to-wear black pigment. The pigment was then transformed into black ink, entitled Air-Ink, and used throughout the collection in graphic touches like swirling figures and dark lines of script.

The once-polluted, now-fashionable substance represents the intersection of where fashion and eco-conscious ingenuity meet. PANGAIA’s Air-Ink also has a productive, universal impact: for each kilogram of Air-Ink created, 800 grams of the global CO2 footprint is decreased. The brand plans on sharing its forward-thinking ink with the rest of the world. “We’re trying to spread the innovations in a way that helps everyone — the people making them, us, and other brands trying to reach new innovations,” Amanda Parkes, the chief innovation officer at PANGAIA, said to Vogue.

Now, let’s talk clothing. The capsule collection was co-designed by Creative Director and stylist Jenke Ahmed Tailly (he’s to credit for Beyoncé’s iconic L’Officiel cover in 2011) and features PANGAIA’s signature recycled cotton hoodies and tees, as well as a few fresh touches from Tailly. The stylist lent his creativity to newly designed bucket hats, bags, slippers, and even offered a reimagined take on PANGAIA’s logo. “I was organically drawn to the infinity symbol, which is connected to everything in life and represents a potential of infinity,” said Tailly to Vogue. “It’s the best metaphor for the interdependence of humanity.”

The collection’s campaign was shot on location in Lagos and featured legendary supermodel Campbell and Nigerian musician Keziah Jones. For Tailly, Campbell was an obvious choice for the campaign. “Naomi is my forever muse. From the beginning, I thought about featuring her in the campaign as she has so much love for [Africa] and is one of its biggest supporters,” said Tailly in a statement. “Equally, her philanthropic work has brought so much positivity to the African narrative.”

PANGAIA’s Air-Ink collection is now available to shop on pangaia.com, and you’ll find some TZR-approved selects, below. Prices for the high-tech goodies start at $80 for the PANGAIA x Air-Ink Shorts and go up to $160 for the PANGAIA x Air-Ink Hoodie.

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