Blue Sky Lab, the sustainable fashion brand launched by Chinese car manufacturer Nio, makes garments and accessories using materials leftover from the manufacturing process. The brand's designs beautifully demonstrate how materials that would otherwise go to waste can be creatively repurposed. In partnership with an independent product testing and certification agency, the brand calculates the carbon footprint of its products.
The brand shares the work of Nio's own designers, as well as designs from Japanese architect Shuhei Aoyama, French leather goods designer Vincent du SARTEL, Finnish designer Rolf Ekroth and others.
According to Nio, its Blue Sky Lab label is "the world's first sustainable fashion brand launched by an automotive company and brought to mass production." Beyond fashion, the brand has also produced tables, stools and lighting fixtures in a similar manner.
Upcycled Automotive Fashion
Nio's Blue Sky Lab Repurposes Materials from Car Manufacturing
Trend Themes
1. Sustainable Fashion - Nio's Blue Sky Lab demonstrates the growing trend of repurposing materials from the automotive industry for fashion.
2. Creative Repurposing - Blue Sky Lab showcases the innovative trend of creatively repurposing unused materials from car manufacturing.
3. Carbon Footprint Calculation - The brand's focus on calculating the carbon footprint of its products signals a trend towards increased transparency in the fashion industry.
Industry Implications
1. Automotive Manufacturing - The automotive industry has the opportunity to explore new revenue streams by repurposing leftover materials from car manufacturing for fashion and other products.
2. Fashion and Apparel - The fashion industry can find ways to integrate sustainable practices and creative repurposing to address the growing consumer demand for eco-friendly and unique products.
3. Product Testing and Certification - The product testing and certification industry can support sustainable fashion brands by offering services to calculate and validate the carbon footprint of their products.