It may sound like the sort of implausible strategy a child would dream up during storytime, but recycled ocean plastic is indeed being transformed into clothing. The masterminds behind the RAW for the Oceans project, the multi-talented Pharrell Williams and denim brand G-Star RAW, have called on the help of Bionic Yarn, Parley for the Oceans and The Vortex Project to make the dream possible. Plastic first appeared on the planet in the mid-1800s and by the end of World War II it was being mass produced, which soon enough led to the man-made global catastrophe of plastic pollution. This project is aiming to lighten the ocean’s load by taking ocean plastic and transforming it into denim and apparel. With around 700 million tonnes of it floating around out there, there’s certainly plenty to choose from.

After the plastic is pulled from the ocean, it’s broken down into chips and shredded into fibres, before being spun into strong yarn and helixed with cotton to form Bionic Yarn. These super-threads are then woven or knitted into fabrics to form the soft yet durable beauties featured in RAW for the Oceans. The new line was released last month, featuring the kind of sharp men’s and women’s wear you’d expect from the capable hands of curator and co-designer Pharrell. From jeans to jackets to caps, you can shop RAW for the Oceans online.