Pharrell Williams Goes Bionic (And Green)

Lauren Conrad may be closing her clothing line “for now,” but Pharrell Williams is just getting started. From The International Herald Tribune:

…Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes is redefining hip hop’s involvement in fashion. He is working with the small textile company, Bionic Yarn, to produce fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles.

Williams became a co-owner of the company in December, along with Tyson Toussant and Tim Coombs of Return Textiles, a privately owned fabric supplier in downtown Manhattan.

The project is a change for Williams, who has been involved in luxury fashion for years. In 2005 he began his clothing line Billionaire Boys Club / Ice Cream, luxury street wear brands that he co-owns with Nigo, the Japanese D.J., fashion designer and founder of the clothing line A Bathing Ape.

And last year he collaborated with Louis Vuitton to present Blason, a jewelry line.

“I have to think about the future of this planet,” said Williams in an e-mail interview, adding that he plans to use the fabric in his own clothing lines, although there are not yet any designs in the works. “I love quality,” he said, “And quality with environmental benefits is the cherry on top.”

Clearly Pharrell has business savvy that extends beyond the usual celebrity “I have a clothing line.” The green apparel movement was working more steadily towards mainstream dominance before the economy started circling the drain, and hopefully will get back on track once, you know, people have jobs and houses again.

If Bionic Yarn is relatively inexpensive to produce, its future is especially bright. In seems to be well on its way - Cole Haan is using Bionic Yarn in its Dylan spring sporting collection.