PANGAIA has pushed for foundational transformation since its inception in 2018. The material innovation company, which moonlights as a clothing brand, wants to reshape several apparel categories with an emphasis on “high-tech naturalism,” a model that calls for using materials naturally abundant instead of those we’ve over industrialized.
So, where’s the tech come in, you’re asking? PANGAIA creates all of the processes and chemistries required to transform these raw materials into functional textiles. Instead of using cotton alone for their new line of denim, for example, they sourced naturally strong Himalayan nettle instead, a material traditionally used for rugs, and blended it with cotton for the new PANGAIA jeans (and jean jacket), which are out now.
“Pangaia is a material science company, so we’re very much driven by innovation,” says Dr. Amanda Parkes, PANGAIA’s chief innovation officer and lead scientist. “We have chosen lifestyle basics for the core of the brand, and we’re motivated to move into different categories more on what innovations are ready and what categories do they belong in, and less like a top down approach.”
Dr. Parkes is talking about sweatpants, T-shirts and sweatshirts — soft, plush basics made from organic cotton primarily. But PANGAIA’s piloted plenty more new materials, too, on a plethora of products: T-shirts made from banana and pineapple waste, graphic inks made from air pollution, sneakers made from grape leather, down jackets filled with wildflowers, to name a few. The jeans, available in two styles, high-rise straight leg and mid-rise straight leg, are just another notch in the company’s metaphorical belt. But why? Aren’t there enough stabs at sustainable jeans already out there?
PANGAIAMid-Wash Straight-Leg Nettle Denim
PANGAIARinse Wash Straight-Leg Nettle Denim
PANGAIAMid Wash Nettle Denim Jacket
PANGAIA