Ege Carpets produced a massive carpet made from discarded fishing nets to cover an entire Italian piazza for the 2019 Green Carpet Fashion Awards, part of this year’s Milan Fashion Week at the La Scala Opera House.
Ege products, produced in Denmark, are distributed in South Africa by KBAC Flooring.
Innovatively combining the aesthetics of fashion with the importance of sustainability, the 2 000 m2 bespoke carpet spanned the entire Piazza della Scala to provide a stunning welcome for attending celebrities such as acclaimed fashion designer, Stella McCartney; Vogue magazine editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour; and iconic Italian actress, Sophia Loren.
Described by the Danish carpet producer as “the most sustainable carpet yet to grace Milan Fashion Week”, the carpet was designed by Vogue editor, Hamish Bowles, the creative director of the Green Carpet Fashion Awards. Bowles marked the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death by transferring Da Vinci’s works and Renaissance tapestries into the carpet design with vividly coloured, oversized, flowers spread across a green background.
The carpet was produced from Ege’s specially-developed Econyl yarn, made from regenerated waste such as discarded fishing nets. Econyl can be regenerated infinitely without any loss in quality and Ege’s sustainability initiative now plays a major role in diverting global waste streams from landfills and oceans.
After the Milan Fashion Week ended, the custom-made carpet will continue to showcase the merits of sustainability. It will be reused for other high-profile events across Europe – including Rome and London – and then be reclaimed through the Econyl recycling process to be transformed into new products.