MILAN – Bottletop is an eco-luxury accessories brand, in particular bags, that chooses the sustainability of materials as its founding principle. And we are not talking about recycled fabrics, but plastic and solid waste: materials that come from waste disposal plants to end up in prestigious window displays in the form of clutches, purses, belts and wallets.
Well, the brand has decided to take another step in the same direction, making – as Forbes explained – the London flagship store on Regent Street thanks to 3D printing that used the recycled plastic from 60 thousand bottles.
The plastic interior
Thanks to an army of printers that used plastic filaments from bottles collected on the streets of the Indian capital city of Delhi, Bottletop was able to entirely furnish the interior of the shop.
Based on the design by Ai Build and Krause Architects, the boutique took on a futuristic and fashionable look. In addition to the printed interior, the floors are made out of recycled tyres. The decorations are compositions of cans. All of the furnishings are items that are on their second or third lives.
The social objective
Moreover, the virtuous circle is enriched by good deeds: ReFlow, the company that creates the plastic material to be printed, will re-invest part of the proceeds in product projects in those countries where collecting waste in disposal plants is a demanding, extremely difficult and very low-paid profession.
The Bottletop project
Bottletop came about thanks to a collaboration with the British Mulberry maison and its mission is to make luxury accessories using recycled and repurposed materials.
But also actively involving communities all over the world in hand crafted production. Sustainable materials and sustainable employment which have led the brand to great collaboration in the world of fashion, art and design.
The Regent Street shop is still a work in progress and various sections and installations will appear a little at a time. The machines used for printing are in the shop and there is even the possibility of using one at any time to make a personalised bag using the recycled plastic filaments.
by Alessandro Conte
March 28, 2018
source: forbes.com
