DS Automobiles reveals clothing collection that absorbs carbon dioxide

DS AUTOMOBILES has unveiled a clothing collection that absorbs carbon dioxide.

Designed in collaboration with a Parisian fashion brand and a British sustainability research studio, the four-piece capsule collection was conceived to celebrate Paris Fashion Week, of which the car maker is a partner.

It comprises a bomber jacket, a trench coat and two T-shirts. The unveiling of the collection coincides with the launch of the Autumn/ Winter 2021 women’s collections, which commenced this week.

The garments were designed for DS by Egon Lab, an emerging unisex streetwear label based in Paris, before being sent to Post Carbon Lab, a design research studio in London that focuses on sustainability.

At the London studio, each garment was covered with a photosynthetic coating made up of living algae, which absorbs carbon dioxide and turns it into glucose, a form of sugar.

According to DS, the capsule collection has collected and converted 1,452g of CO2 over the last ten weeks, roughly equivalent to the intake of a six-year-old oak tree over the course of six months.

The trench coat and bomber jacket are both partially coated in the treatment, while the T-shirts are fully treated for maximum absorption capability.

The garments all bear sustainable slogans: “Power Sustainable Dreams” appears on the trench, the bomber jacket is branded with the words “Green Bomber” and the T-shirts feature the phrase “Lead the Charge”.

Florentin Glemarec and Kévin Nompeix, joint CEOs and artistic directors of Egon Lab, said that they “took inspiration from the city of Paris and the strong spirit of its residents, and were excited to work with new materials and techniques.”

DS says that the clothing collection is a manifestation of its “Future Craft” philosophy, which combines traditional French savoir-faire, or expertise, with a passion for futuristic and sustainable material.

The car maker, founded in 2009 as a sub-brand of Citroën, became the standalone luxury arm of the PSA group in 2014, and is now one of 14 brands under the Stellantis umbrella, which also encompases Fiat Chrysler marque including Fiat, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Maserati.

DS Automobiles now sells more vehicles in the European market than Lexus.

The capsule collection is not the first time that DS and Egon Lab have worked together; a number of the marque’s cars, including the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense, DS 7 Crossback E-Tense and DS 9 E-Tense appeared in a photoshoot with the designer’s clothing collection for the Spring/Summer collections in 2020.

The collaboration is just one of a number between fashion designers and car makers over the past 12 months.

Lamborghini worked with the Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto on a one-off Aventador S last year, as well as with American streetwear brand Supreme on a capsule collection; Mercedes-Benz worked with Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh on a G-Wagon concept; and BMW teamed up with American designer Ronnie Fieg on a 94-piece clothing collection inspired by his E30 M3.

DS Automobiles said that it is considering a limited release of the capsule collection for consumer purchase in the future.

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• After reading that DS Automobiles has revealed a clothing collection that absorbs CO2, you might want to read about the brand’s recently released DS 4 hatchback.
• You might also be interested in Driving.co.uk’s review of the 2020 DS 3 Crossback E-Tense.
• The car maker said last year that it was working on technology that will spell the “end of touchscreens”.