Sustainable clothing is growing in popularity, but sustainability alone isn’t always enough. Clothes still need to be stylish. It seems Polo Ralph Lauren struck the perfect balance with its 2019 U.S. Open ballpersons uniform.
According to Forbes, each outfit is made from an average of seven recycled plastic bottles converted to a recycled poly-fiber. The brand also plans to use Wilson tennis ball cans recycled from this year’s event for the 2020 uniforms.
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“We will take our efforts one step further to create a circular approach where we will collect about 12,000 Wilson ball cans that were used during the 2019 tournament,” said David Lauren, chief innovation officer for Ralph Lauren, according to Forbes. “The cans will be recycled and ultimately turned into thread that will make up the fabric for next year’s ballpersons uniforms.”
Ralph Lauren has been the official uniform supplier for the U.S. Open since 2005, but we would definitely say this year’s looks are tops. Even better, the clothing company is still pushing boundaries with its sustainable initiatives. The brand aims to divert 170 million plastic bottles from landfills and oceans by 2025.
“Our biggest challenge was sourcing a technology and manufacturing process for making thread from recycled plastic bottles that was scalable for our global business,” Lauren said, according to Forbes. “We want to ensure that we’re implementing solutions that can have a material impact across our business and that never sacrifice our quality and longevity standards for our products.”
The added benefit of these uniforms is that they don’t compromise on functionality, either. The styles still feature stretch and moisture-wicking properties.
As for the style itself, the brand took inspiration from the Polo Sport looks of the 1990s. The end result is a collection that is bold and playful, yet also sophisticated. And, supposedly, consumers will even have the option of purchasing a tie-dye version.
