1. Previous
  2. Next
${alt}

PANGAIA

Discover the ground-breaking science behind the earth-conscious label that’s just arrived exclusively online and in store at our Corner Shop space at Selfridges London

Shop now

PANGAIA

Discover the ground-breaking science behind the earth-conscious label that’s just arrived exclusively online and in store at our Corner Shop space at Selfridges London

Shop now

Words: Charlotte Core. Digital illustrations: Joe Mortell

It’s safe to say that no one’s doing it quite like Pangaia. It’s the loungewear label that’s been on everyone’s lips this past year (with its gender-neutral pieces the undisputed go-to for smart-casual lockdown dressing), yet there’s far more to their relaxed joggers-and-sweatshirt combos than meets the eye. Everything Pangaia designs and creates is firmly rooted in planet-friendly, problem-solving science, with a commitment to designing a better future – which makes it an excellent addition to our Project Earth line-up of more sustainable brands, as well as our Corner Shop space at Selfridges London this month. The takeover at Selfridges London is the first physical Pangaia store, ever: a place to discover the exclusive collection and explore the earth-conscious alchemy behind it. 


“Our material philosophy for the company is ‘high-tech naturalism’,” explains Pangaia’s Chief Innovation Officer Dr Amanda Parkes. “This means taking where nature and agricultural waste are abundant, and using technology, biotech and nanotech processes to augment and facilitate a different function.” The materials developed by Pangaia – from FLWRDWN™ (a down alternative to feathers created from wildflowers) to C-FIBER™ (a water-saving and biodegradable material developed from eucalyptus pulp and seaweed) – are lessons in pioneering material technology, helping to avoid unnecessary and harmful landfill waste and vastly reducing the environmental impact all too familiar with fashion production.


It’s really about bringing out the very best in nature. Understanding intuitively how the materials work, and what we can do with them to augment their inherent properties.

– Dr Amanda Parkes, Pangaia’s Chief Innovation Officer

Shop the exclusives:

Shop now

With the expert insight of Dr Amanda Parkes and art interpretations by Joe Mortell, we dive into the breakthrough materials behind Pangaia’s womenswear, menswear, kidswear and accessories, and discover how they’re leading the way with its future-facing approach to sustainable design.  

Let’s raise a glass to:

GRAPE LEATHER

Pangaia’s grape leather is a prime example of how waste – in this case, grape pulp, skin, seed and stem leftovers from the Italian winemaking industry – can be repurposed into something brand new. Combined with water-based polyurethane, the grape biomaterial is coated onto organic cotton to create a new material that’s far less damaging to our planet, closes the loop on waste and is long-lasting to boot.  So, is the future of fashion really rubbish? “We’re just at this scientific frontier of discovery,” says Dr Parkes. “Even the term ‘waste’ – we need to get rid of that term when we talk about the bio-economy! It’s about everything in nature having a place.”

How can waste from winemaking offer an alternative to leather?

${alt}

= GRAPE LEATHER


Repurposes waste material. Responsibly sourced and produced. Comfortable.

Shop now

The fabric with real flower (petal) power

FLWRDWN™

Who knew the future of cruelty-free, thermal clothing would be… flowers? FLWRDWN™ forgoes the need for animal feathers or non-biodegradable polyester; it’s both cosy in chilly temperatures and consciously-created. “With FLWRDWN™, we take a waste wildflower, something that grows as a weed – it doesn’t even need to be to be farmed, it’s just cultivated and harvested,” explains Dr Amanda Parkes on Pangaia’s breakthrough material that took 10 years of development to pull off. “The beautiful thing about how we develop materials is that we can [update them] because we’re developing the material from a raw state. We’re literally changing formulations for factors that can be way down the road – how the FLWRDWN™ will be stuffed into the coats, for example.”

Flowers: The future of warmth?

${alt}

= FLWRDWN™

No feathers. Responsibly sourced. Cruelty-free. Warm.


Coming very soon to selfridges.com – watch this space…

Sea(weed) change:

C-FIBER™

Just one cotton T-shirt can waste a lot of water. That’s why Pangaia was motivated to create its own, far more efficient (and fully biodegradable) alternative, using something that nature is bursting with: seaweed. Combined with eucalyptus pulp (a plant that grows without the need for irrigation or pesticides), C-FIBER™ is a material that’s earth-conscious and snuggly soft, too. According to Dr Parkes, the continued research and development of planet-friendly, alternative materials using resources like seaweed is inevitable. “It’s about the manufacturing, production and extraction processes just getting better,” she says. “Think of it this way: how many years has cotton been around? Think about all the optimisation, the cotton gins, and hundreds of years of production. How long has it taken [to develop] that infrastructure, and that embedding of knowledge? We’re just working that out for seaweed within the last 20 years. We’re getting there.”

How can plants protect our planet?

${alt}

= C-FIBER™

100% biodegradable. Regenerative. 
Water efficent. Silky-smooth.

Shop C-FIBER™:

Shop now

The best things come in compostable packages:

TIPA

Unnecessary plastic packaging is detrimental to our environment. That’s why Pangaia protects its pieces with TIPA, an ecological alternative to non-recyclable wrapping, that – unlike your typical plastic packet destined for the landfill – will return to organic waste in your home compost in 24 weeks.

How can we say goodbye to plastic pollution?

${alt}

= TIPA PACKAGING

A responsible alternative to plastic. Fully compostable. Protects your products.

Save water, stay fresh:

PPRMINT™

We’re wasting so much water – especially when it comes to over-washing our clothes. With the help of Pangaia’s PPRMINT™ Oil Treatment, we can all do our bit to lessen our water usage (as well as making sure we’re not guilty of throwing all our clothes straight into the laundry basket after only one wear). PPRMINT™ is an odour-control and antimicrobial treatment that reduces the need for excessive washing-machine use, but unlike other clothing treatments, it won’t leach into our waterways or harm wildlife. 

How can we keep our clothes fresh, using less water?

${alt}

= PPRMINT™ OIL TREATMENT

Prevents odour. Antibacterial. 
Saves water and energy. Stays fresh.

Shop now

With Pangaia leading the way on future-facing, earth-conscious material alchemy (that results in seriously good ready-to-wear and accessories), we had to ask: what’s next for sustainable materials? “We have a whole programme around the ocean,” says Dr Parkes. “The ocean is an untapped resource – and I mean that in a wholly responsible, sustainable way! There are lots of ways that we can use the materials in there for things, we haven’t even started to explore it all...”

For every Pangaia product sold through Selfridges during the Corner Shop takeover, Pangaia and Selfridges will each donate 1% of sales (retail price less VAT) to two environmental funds. Pangaia will donate 1% of sales to the Bee The Change powered by Milkywire*, who are working to protect and preserve vulnerable and endangered bee species around the world. Selfridges will donate 1% of sales to the Woodland Trust*, who are concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage.

* Milkywire, a charitable foundation registered in Sweden under number: 802526-9328 and Woodland Trust, a charitable foundation registered in England and Wales

LET'S CHANGE THE WAY WE SHOP

Join us to discover the most exciting design innovations, retail concepts and thought-provoking ideas in sustainability, and explore our series of new commitments set to radically change our business as part of Project Earth.

Discover Project Earth

LET'S CHANGE THE WAY WE SHOP

Join us to discover the most exciting design innovations, retail concepts and thought-provoking ideas in sustainability, and explore our series of new commitments set to radically change our business as part of Project Earth.

Discover Project Earth