Americans use 2,000 single-use plastic bottles every second, and nearly 70% of those are not recycled. That’s an ugly stat. With National Ugly Sweater Day happening tomorrow, Friday, December 20, mcgarrybowen Chicago and client Brita have teamed up to bring you something all kinds of ugly for the holidays – a 100% recycled ugly holiday sweater. YES!
But not just ugly. Brita is touting as “TheUgliest Ugly Sweater.” So, what makes Brita’s sweater “the ugliest?” Because single-use plastic bottles are wrecking our planet and filling our oceans with trash.
So for ugly sweater season, mcgarrybowen’s talented and inspired designers set out to create the ugliest sweaters ever, woven from that recycled plastic waste.
How they created these beautiful atrocities
Five in-house designers from mcgarrybowen created sweater designs that blend traditional holiday kitsch with imagery of plastic waste and its impact on the environment.
mcgarrybowen worked closely with Knitwear Lab (knitwearlab.nl/), an industrial knitwear manufacturing and design company based in Amsterdam, to produce the sweaters.
All in all, 5 unique designs were created and 500 total sweaters were produced. Each limited-edition sweater is made from 80% recycled materials, including 40% recycled plastic. All sweaters are finished with custom tags that feature Brita’s “Drink Like You Care” message.
In addition to the sweaters, mcgarry designed and created custom boxes–from recycled materials, of course–to deliver Brita’s key messages. And for the sweater tag, well, it’s Brita’s tag!
All kinds of good ugly to choose from
Where does one even begin? There are five new sweaters to (blecch) choose from:
Snowflake: This design rings in the holidays with a snowflake made from bottled water waste and dead fish. The sleeves also feature alternating patterns of bottled water and dead fish.
Faux Cardigan: This sweater shows up for the holidays adorned with planet-wrecking bottled water and sad, dead sea life. An underwater scene shows single-use plastic floating amongst dead whales, fish, and turtles.
Ho Ho Hoax: This sweater lights up the party with strings of bottled water and dead fish trapped inside. The back features a fun message from Santa: Bottled water is a Ho Ho Hoax
Ice Caps: This sweater chills out in an icy blue winter scene awash with floating plastic waste and a tragically marooned polar bear.
Grandma: This cozy sweater is complete with ribbon sleeves and a quilt-patterned front, featuring lots of dead sea life and seahorses trapped inside plastic water bottles.
ALSO READ: Reel 360’s last-minute gift guide of must-haves
Since their release, the sweaters have been picked up by numerous sustainability influencers, including eco-conscious celebrity influencer, Stephanie Shepherd.
Well they certainly are ugly, but they are inventive. The Reel 360 Team could certainly use them, too! Buy the Ugliest ugly sweaters on Amazon.
SOURCE: mcgarrybowen
