Brand: Quiksilver Season: Summer
Key Features: Boardshorts made from plastic!
Ever enjoy a great surf in great waves on a great day and seen the not-so-great sight of plastic bottles strewn about the back-to-great beach? It creates a very deep, very specific breed of sadness. One that cuts you to the core. But, to heal that wound, we have three pieces of good news for you:
1) You have the power to commit yourself to a lifetime of environmentally conscious decision-making, thus becoming part of the solution to this hideous problem.
2) Quiksilver make boardshorts out of plastic bottles.
3) For you to get Rad in…
You’ve certainly heard the first bit before — whether or not you’ve acted on it is up to you. If you haven’t, then now is the time. Just think about that beach. How about that second bit, though? It’s true! Working with their friends at Repreve, Quiksilver were able to turn the bottles you hate into the boardshorts that you surf in. The process is simple and complex at the same time.
The simplicity stems from the fact that most plastic bottles are made from something called PET (polyethylene terephthalate). PET also makes polyester, which is used in Quiksilver Repreve Boardshorts and a variety of other goods. The complexity stems from the fact that it takes a little bit of work and a whole lot of ingenuity to get from bottle to boardshort. In short: the bottle gets broken down into chips. Then they become a fiber. Then it becomes a yarn. Then it gets sewn into your new favorite pair of boardshorts for you to go get rad in.
