From April 8 to 10, the immersive installation at Via Giuseppe Sirtori, 26 will guide visitors on a journey that begins in plant fiber and ends in the earth, with no trace of waste.
Under Armour and UNLESS arrived at Milano Design Week with a game-changing proposal: regenerative and degenerative sportswear, which is born from plants and, at the end of its life cycle, returns to the earth without leaving waste. A circular concept that challenges the conventional production model and, in the words of Eric Liedtke, president of Under Armour, represents “a significant shift in the creation of high-performance products that respect both athletes and the planet.”
We live in a world where performance apparel is dominated by plastic. If we take a look at the label of any sports apparel, we will almost always find the same materials: polyester, nylon, elastane. What do they have in common? They are all derived from plastic. The reason is simple: these synthetic fibers offer lightness, elasticity and breathability, essential characteristics for performance. However, this efficiency comes at a hidden cost: 70% of synthetic textiles are made from petroleum, and every time we wash them, they release microplastics into the water, in addition to not fully decomposing if their life cycle ends.
This is where Under Armour and UNLESS make a difference. Instead of going the traditional route, they’ve designed a collection from plant-based materials that maintain the performance of athletic apparel without generating plastic waste. Most importantly, when they’re no longer useful, they can decompose naturally instead of accumulating in landfills or the ocean.
The collection is composed of sweatshirts, T-shirts, shorts, and sneakers among other sporty pieces, in versions for men, women and unisex, where sport and skate merge in an aesthetic proposal that, in addition to functionality, offers something that is rarely present in sportswear: a responsible end. Here, the cycle does not close with one more waste in the landfill, but with a conscious return to nature.
Because, in the end, the question is as simple as it is shattering. Eric Liedtke, president of Under Armour, threw it out unannounced at the launch event, leaving the uncomfortable reality floating in the air: “Do you know any company that cares about what happens to its clothing once it’s no longer used?”
Silence. Because most sell and forget what comes after wear. Under Armour and UNLESS have decided to do just the opposite. They’ve designed with the end in mind, so that it’s not just about speed or endurance, but about knowing when – and how – to start over with a garment.
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