BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH STARS IN PRADA’S LATEST RE-NYLON CAMPAIGN
words by ANOUK WOUDT
It’s that time again. Prada’s Re-Nylon campaign is back to remind us of the importance of sustainability— especially in luxury. This year, the campaign is led by our Marvel super (hero) stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Letitia Wright, urging us to focus on our planet’s welfare. Through the SEA BEYOND project, Prada continues its focus on preserving the ocean and spreading awareness on the topic.
Since 2019, Prada’s Re-Nylon campaign has evolved into an annual ritual, reflecting the brand’s ongoing dialogue between fashion and responsibility. At its core is nylon, a material deeply embedded in Prada’s identity since the late 1970s, when Miuccia Prada first dabbled in its use as a symbol of modern luxury. It has come to represent Prada’s unstoppable innovation that lies in its rebel heart. This staple material is reimagined through recycling and purification of plastic taken from landfills and oceans to create a new collection that imitates nylon, just without the waste. Beyond its inherent sustainability, this collection also donates 1% of its proceeds to the SEA BEYOND project, conducted in partnership with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
This year, the campaign travels from Oahu, Hawaii, all the way to Japan’s Izu Peninsula and the city of Kamakura, placing the actors in the heart of nature’s wilderness. The sea is an ever-present backdrop, ebbing into our collective consciousness. In a fourth-time collaboration with National Geographic CreativeWorks, we get a couple of documentary shorts alongside photos to truly illustrate the project’s impact across the globe. Through the first video instalment, we follow Benedict Cumberbatch as he adventures through the most untouched landscapes of Japan. Joined by photojournalist Elisabetta Zavoli, the Goodwill Ambassador of the project, they enter a dialogue concerning SEA BEYOND’s environmental goals. Diving into the waters of the Izu Peninsula, only two hours outside of the bustling streets of Tokyo, they are faced with a rainbow of vibrant marine life, highlighting the ocean’s hidden beauty.
“I think when you spend time in nature, you feel a natural urge to protect it.”
Drifting to another perspective, Elisabetta also got the opportunity to chat with renowned Japanese marine biologist Sakana-kun, whose program is supported by SEA BEYOND. His program, Sakana-kun Exploration Team, gets elementary school children involved in the ocean’s conservation, allowing them to engage with activities and educational sessions that further their connection with aquatic life.
SEA BEYOND is a return to something instinctive, engaging one’s inner love for nature. It invites you to treat the ocean symbiotically, replacing taking with giving, and giving awareness the power to become action. This is echoed throughout the Re-Nylon collection, refashioning bags and accessories into a conduit for environmental consciousness.
