Athens, 7 June 2016: ΜEDASSET presents an exhibition of “clothing raised from the sea” at the most exclusive shopping centre in the city of Athens – Golden Hall.

To celebrate the successful first year coordination of the European initiative “Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear”, MEDASSET, with the support of the Representation of the EC in Greece, is holding the fashion exhibition “Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear” at Golden Hall shopping center in Greece. The shopping centre is known as a regular supporter of projects that draw inspiration from an engagement with environmental issues, particularly when they combine an innovative approach with practical solutions.

The exhibition, which will be open from 6 June until 6 July is located on the first floor of the Centre from where it aims to ‘transport’ the public to a unique destination – the point at which respect for the environment meets with fashion and the circular economy.

The innovative “Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear” initiative seeks to clear our seas of abandoned fishing nets, otherwise known as “ghost nets”, which are to be found tangled on wrecks or caught on rocks on the seabed. Here, they act as deadly traps for thousands of marine creatures, such as turtles, dolphins and seals. The nets, once raised, are recycled along with other waste and used to produce premium quality ECONYL® yarn, from which a range of goods, from clothing to carpets, can be manufactured.

The primary aim of the exhibition is to inspire and engage each and every one of us in the issue of environmental protection and the importance of becoming part of a collective effort to bring the wheel full circle; showing us how we can give the goods we use new life through the circular economy’s mechanisms of recycling and re-use.

The garments presented in the exhibition have all been created by students and recent graduates of the Fashion Department of AKTO College of Art and Design. They were finalists in the competition “Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear” Fashion Project, which took place in May this year, organised by MEDASSET in collaboration with DoItEco Project. Each outfit incorporates fabric made from ECONYL® yarn produced in Italy, used either on its own or in combination with other environment-friendly materials.

Exhibition stand design and construction by architect, Evi Polychroniadou

The “Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear” Fashion Project is carried out under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean Action Plan – Barcelona Convention Secretariat (UNEP/MAP), the SEV Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO.

It is supported by: the Representation of the European Commission in Greece, Hilton Athens, ASAP Athens, Planet Blue, Freddy Makeup Stage,Aquafil, Carvico, Jersey Lomelina, Parthenis Fashion House, Megasign, Μusic-Works, Glovo, and Kosmocar.

Photos from the exhibition available here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByrjAcHBrE8RemhqZ2V4d1RZemM

For more information please contact:
Jenny Ioannou, Head of Communications, MEDASSET
+30 210 3613572
[email protected]
www.medasset.org, fromwastetowear.medasset.org/en

Notes to Editors:
Founded in 1988, MEDASSET is an international environmental NGO registered as a charity and limited liability company in the UK and a Permanent Observer-Member to the Bern Convention, Council of Europe. MEDASSET is working closely with MEDASSET Greece – a not-for-profit organisation established in 1993 in Greece, which is a partner to the UN’s Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP). Both organisations are active in the study and conservation of sea turtles and their habitats throughout the Mediterranean. Common goals are achieved through scientific research, environmental education, lobbying relevant decision makers, and raising public awareness.

About Healthy Seas – a Journey from Waste to Wear
Healthy Seas is an initiative that recovers abandoned fishing nets that pollute our seas and coasts and thanks to the ECONYL® Regeneration System the contained nylon is regenerated into high-quality yarn which is then turned into brand new sustainable textiles.
www.healthyseas.org
www.facebook.com/healthyseas
www.twitter.com/healthyseas_org

About ECONYL® brand
Made from 100 percent regenerated nylon waste materials, Aquafil’s ECONYL fiber helps divert global waste streams from landfills and oceans and is used to produce a wide range of textile products such as sportswear, swimwear, and carpets. Aquafil started the ECONYL Regeneration System as a sustainability initiative in 2007 and within four years it became an important milestone and commercial driver within the company, representing a significant step towards the company’s involvement in the circular economy. The ECONYL Regeneration System is the world’s most efficient industrial system for the production of Nylon 6 and is unique in that it boasts no loss of quality after reclamation and transformation of nylon waste. For more information, visit www.econyl.com or @ECONYL