Sustainable fashion brand launches to help save the oceans

Ethical and sustainable fashion is taking the world by storm and GiLo Lifestyle Australia is launching #fashionwithaconscience to promote the idea that high quality clothing can be ethically created.

The brand’s boardshorts and lifestyle shorts are made from 92 per cent recycled plastic bottles and eight per cent spandex.

The story begins in Cape Town, South Africa, where two great friends with a conscience about the state of our oceans, and the desire to make a difference, began a fashion brand that embodies the belief that we all should reduce, reuse and recycle.

How do you create a sustainable fashion brand?

GiLo Lifestyle Australia’s labels and packaging are made from recycled paper; and their stickers are printed on FSC certified paper – FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council – promoting the responsible management of the world’s forests.

Their fabric is made from PET and spandex –PET is Polyethylene Terephthalate, the clear plastic used for water bottles. It is globally recognised as non-toxic and strong yet lightweight and flexible. It is 100 per cent recyclable.

The production process

  • Step 1: Plastic bottles are stripped of caps and labels, then thoroughly cleaned to remove any residue or contaminants.
  • Step 2: The plastic is processed into flakes and washed again to ensure there is nothing left but 100 per cent RPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) remaining.
  • Step 3: The clean flakes are transformed into small pellets of pure recycled plastic.
  • Step 4: The pellets are then extruded into yarn.

The co-founders believe that the ocean is our responsibility and that what happens to it, impacts us all. They see buying and wearing fashion that is made from recycled plastic bottles retrieved from our oceans as a good place to start.