Russell Athletic Overstock Gets Sustainable, Streetwear Overhaul in New Nicole McLaughlin, Dao-Yi Chow Capsule
This next upcycled collaboration harbors spirit, play and a mind-set shift.
Foot Locker’s creative incubator, Greenhouse, together with Russell Athletic, designer Nicole McLaughlin and sustainable streetwear platform O-1 (created by Dao-Yi Chow, cofounder of Public School) are dropping an upcycled, limited-edition capsule for April.
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The capsule consists of three styles priced from $120 to $225 made of reworked overstock from Russell Athletic. Entirely upcycled, the collection features hoodies courtesy of Chow and O-1 and a tote bag in two sizes by McLaughlin. The collection also includes slides McLaughlin designed using upcycled PSNY hats.
Items are found exclusively on the Greenhouse app during Earth Month, beginning April 9, with limited quantities on Foot Locker’s website on April 16.
“We are excited to see this amazing concept come to life as we have been working closely with Mel Peralta from Greenhouse to find the right collaborative effort. After several conversations, he presented an opportunity to partner with Nicole McLaughlin and Dao-Yi Chow that supports a version of the industry that is more sustainable,” said Greg Galbraith, senior director of marketing at Russell Athletic. The collaboration, he said, is an “important part of our commitment to sustainability.”
Sharing her concept creations with more than 600,000 Instagram followers, McLaughlin is increasingly being tapped for commercial partnerships and experimental concepts with the likes of Hermès (a bag vest), Puma (a goalie glove jacket), Carhartt (beanie shorts), and more.
Expressing excitement for her collaborators, McLaughlin said the collection “embodies the true spirit of upcycling” in thoughtfully utilizing all leftover components.
Chow equally expressed admiration for McLaughlin’s work, saying: “Her energy around design and upcycling is exactly what the industry needs more. “It’s not about making more ‘green products,’ it’s about changing attitudes around consumption and challenging the perceptions of products and their life cycles.”
In 2018, the Public School cofounder branched off into his next endeavors with the O-1 platform, born out of the idea to bridge streetwear, advocacy and sustainability. Over the years, he has spoken out about overproduction, challenging the status quo in design, recently producing small-scale innovations under Slow Factory foundation’s One x One initiative, including lab-grown sneakers.
While Greenhouse declined to share an exact production run of the latest collaboration, the quantities are limited and expected to “sell out within the day.”
For More, See:
Foot Locker Set to Unveil Greenhouse Incubator
Nicole McLaughlin Talks Sustainable Design, Life on Adidas’ Farm and the Permanence of Books
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