Puffer coats stuffed with wildflowers and self-cleaning t-shirts made from peppermint infused seaweed… sounds like a mythical experiment fashioned by a band of laborious pixies, right? Think again. These are some of the most coveted items in fashion right now. From style icons like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber, to discerning fashion editors, everyone is clamouring to get their hands on PANGAIA’s vegan loungewear. And this is no mean feat— their cult hoodies and track pants are consistently sold out within minutes of launch.

With everyone now switching up their workwear wardrobes for ‘business at the top, loungewear at the bottom’ Zoom attire, PANGIAIA has become a blessing for the WFH brigade. Take for instance, their Nimbus pink track pants which are a stylish (and socially acceptable) alternative to pyjama bottoms. Each pair is made using non-toxic botanical dye which is a waste product from the beauty industry and extracted through the processing of tiny organisms called Kerria Lacca. Likewise, their ribbed khaki tank top is an eco-friendly take on the athleisure staple. It’s fabricated from 60% Icelandic seaweed and 40% organic cotton, which is then treated with antibacterial peppermint oil to keep it fresh and reduce the need for repeated washing (saving up to 3000 litres of water over its lifetime). Come autumn you’ll be wrapping up in PANGAIA’s patented FLWRDWN™ puffer jackets, a cruelty-free alternative to the goose down coat. 10 years in development, their patented ‘Flower Down’ technology harvests the flowers produced from agricultural waste and helps to conserve a species of local butterflies.

At a time when streetwear feels as if it’s driven by consumerism and the continual desire for newness, it’s so refreshing to see a brand that is disrupting the status quo. Combining cutting-edge material science and modern streetwear silhouettes, PANGAIA has successfully brought sustainable fashion to the mainstream. To allay any eco-anxiety, PANGIAIA is committed to promoting a zero-waste circular system and every aspect of the brand is carefully designed to minimise waste — from bio-based packaging that can be placed in a compost bin and completely broken down within 24 weeks, to a clothing repair programme in partnership with The Renewal Workshop.

With PANGAIA revealing potential plans to move into jewellery, accessories and furniture in future, here we discuss everything from ‘high-tech naturalism’ to how the pandemic will radically change the fashion industry…

Q&A

What was the main impetus behind the creation of PANGAIA, and was it a conscious reaction against the current state of fashion? 

The vision for PANGAIA has always been about creating a materials science brand that brings innovations to life through products of everyday use. We have our own lab in Florence, Italy where we develop our very own proprietary materials and technologies in-house, as well as build on the science developed to date. One of the key focus areas for PANGAIA is commercialising this research and innovation, which we plan to open source to other companies and industries. PANGAIA is creating a new business model and a way to springboard new technologies, and push forward their adoption on a global scale. So science and materials innovation is where we always start.  

It’s great to see how PANGAIA are really championing bio-fabrication (which I think is the future). How did your journey into developing sustainable materials begin?  

We have long partnered with the world's leading research institutions, laboratories and scientists to bring to life the latest problem-solving innovations in materials science. We wanted to find a way to demystify science and showcase in the most accessible way possible — through everyday lifestyle products. Now we pioneer our own breakthrough science like FLWRDWN, use bio-based fibers, as well as materials made from recycled plastic and garment waste. The launch of FLWRDWN exemplifies PANGAIA’s overall brand philosophy of ‘high tech naturalism’ where the future of creating a sustainable fashion industry involves using existing natural materials, like agricultural waste, that are augmented by scientific and technology processes. We are working towards other new innovations in this realm, to bring an entirely new material library into commercial reality.

I love the name PANGAIA and how it reflects the state of the earth as one/suggests togetherness. It’s great to see diversity in your campaign imagery. As well as sustainability, is the notion of inclusivity at the core of your brand?

Our name PANGAIA is very meaningful - PAN means all inclusive, uniting, and Gaia means Mother Earth. We function as a global collective of scientists, designers, thinkers and creators from all backgrounds and walks of life. Because we’ve organised ourselves into this global group of like-minded individuals, we continue to grow this community and actually welcome all our investors, customers, collaborators, and co-creators to be a part of the collective too! 

Due to the pandemic, the loungewear market has been thriving. How do you think the pandemic will shape the fashion industry going forwards? Are we moving towards “seasonless” collections?

All our products are beautifully designed, with as many innovative, responsible, recycled and recyclable elements as possible, packaged in a compostable part bio-based alternative to plastic. All of the products are designed to be seasonless and to last.

We’re still a pretty young company, we have been focused on developing and introducing breakthrough textile innovations and patents into the world through everyday lifestyle products since the very beginning. What we launched with about a year ago is effectively an experiment with seaweed fiber which we turned into a fabric and into a t-shirt, which became our MVP — the Seaweed Fiber T-shirt treated with peppermint oil to keep it fresh longer. Then we added a collection of t-shirts and hoodies/track pants dyed with botanical colours, our FLWRDWN puffer jackets etc…

Finally, could you explain briefly about your sales model and how we can get our hands on some PANGAIA! Is it released in limited drops?

We think about it this way — every day we borrow inspiration and resources from the planet, so we’re mindful of the impact we have as a result. In an effort to avoid overproduction, we only produce based on demand. Sparing our planet the incineration fumes as well as landfill waste. As a result we significantly reduce our carbon footprint (as much as our customers’!) by only producing what we need to. The limited drops are not really a sales model as such as much as it is a data driven, sustainable approach to production, which we are constantly reviewing and improving on. 

PANGAIA is a direct-to-consumer brand, selling exclusively via www.thepangaia.com