
Event
World Oceans Day 2022
Jun 8 - Jun 8 2022
UN Headquarters, New York
From Sea to Showroom
As this year's UN World Oceans Day takes place, our London showroom is home to a powerful installation which illustrates the ever-increasing issue of marine plastic pollution, and the important role we as designers and makers can play in combatting the problem. Showcasing our SEAQUAL fabrics, Oceanic and Quest alongisde the plastic products from which they are made, the exhibition highlights the immediate threat posed by ocean waste, and the beautiful textiles that we make from it.
Plastic debris takes many forms, and causes a huge amount of harm.
Illustrating the breadth of plastic waste items found in our sea, the display includes:
- Reclaimed buoys: These colourful signposts are frequently lost at sea, or intentionally discarded. Commonly made from foamed polystyrene, this type of plastic can rapidly fragment into microplastics which take centuries to degrade, and cause severe harm to marine animals.
- Fishing net: Accounting for approximately 10% of ocean litter, abandoned fishing gear poses one of the most significant threats to aquatic life. Typically made from nylon, nets such as these can continue to kill fish and other animals decades after their first use.
- Plastic bottles: One of the most visible polluters of the ocean, an estimated 1.2 million plastic bottles are used each minute, and, with just 12% of these being correctly recycled, many end up in landfill, or find their way into water. In the display, 26 and 23 PET bottles illustrate the number used to create a metre of Oceanic and Quest respectively.

When made from a natural material, ocean waste can be beautiful and beneficial.
Featured alongside the manmade plastic items, the display incorporates products made from natural wood, taken from bark and boat, to illustrate the beauty that can be born from it when remade into something new.
- Driftwood garlands: Playing a valuable role in the marine ecosystem, driftwood provides a number of benefits, such as providing food and shelter to wildlife and creating stability in sandy beach environments, and is a popular material for use in furniture and other interior products.
- Wooden letters: Made from old fishing boats, the handcrafted wooden letters spelling out the names of Oceanic and Quest use aged materials to tell a new story. Weathered and worn, with the original paint still visible, each one has a unique identity and natural finish.
The 'Waste made Wonderful' display will be installed at the Camira London showroom (8 & 10 Brewhouse Yard, London, EC1V 4DG) until June 22nd 2022.
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