Patricia Urquiola and Kvadrat have teamed up to launch the world’s first upholstery textile made entirely of recycled materials. Working with ocean-bound plastic waste, the Milanese designer and Danish textile authority have created Sport, in partnership with #tide, a Swiss company specialising in developing materials from ocean-bound plastic waste. The textile is made of post-consumer plastic collected within 10km from the coastline of Thailand, as part of #tide’s commitment to prevent the materials from reaching the oceans.
‘[With Kvadrat], we share the same philosophy that the highest standards in design and materials can be combined with important sustainable and ethical actions,’ says #tide co-founder Marc Krebs. ‘[We both] want to create a much-needed social and environmental impact that protects the oceans and supports coastal and island communities in their fight against plastic pollution out of 100 per cent ocean-bound plastic waste.’
As the name suggests, the collection is inspired by sportswear and nods to a high-tech aesthetic, with subtle tactile patterns enriching the surface and a colour palette defined by vibrant shades of purple, green and blue as well as a series of neutrals that range from greys to taupe. Each textile is defined by a two-tone contrasting composition, enhancing the design’s three dimensional effect. ‘The colours for Sport are divided into “salt and pepper” monochrome nuances, which illuminate the textile’s high-tech graphic character, and solid shades which fade its texture away,’ explains Urquiola.