‘A glimpse of the future’: Pangaia unveils PANhemp alongside Unspun
Following on from its recent launch of PANettle selvedge denim incorporating wild Himalayan nettle fibre, materials science brand Pangaia has unveiled a second denim blend, PANhemp, partially created using rain-fed hemp.
As with PANettle, the blend has also been made with organic cotton and finished using the brand’s proprietary anti-odour treatment, Pprmint, which is based on natural peppermint oil. Pangaia said that select washes in the collection have been dyed with natural indigo from the Indigofera plant.
The four genderless 13-ounce denim styles have been designed in collaboration with former Levi’s head of design Jonathan Cheung, who was named to the advisory board of Hong Kong- and San Francisco-based robotics and digital apparel company Unspun last year and, more recently, creatively spearheaded the PANettle line.
Turkish denim mill Orta was also heavily involved in the fabric development process, which included weaving the material in reverse (now a Pangaia denim signature) to create a relatively rare left-hand twill. Mr Cheung described the resulting fabrics as “strong, yet soft to the touch and comfortable to wear”. He also added that they are “completely plant-based”, with the final products notably lacking a more traditional leather back patch.
Mr Cheung has previously worked on a custom-fit unisex denim range for Unspun, another PANhemp collection partner, called Un-labelled.
Significantly, Unspun will offer PANhemp denim styles via its new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered app from November 11, meaning that shoppers also have the option of ordering an on-demand, custom-fit pair of PANhemp jeans after this date. Previously, this technology was only available at a limited selection of retailers, making Pangaia the app’s first brand partner.
Unspun co-founder, Beth Esponnette, commented on the release: “We feel it is extremely fitting that Pangaia means ‘all-inclusive Mother Earth’, because Unspun’s collaboration with Pangaia brings both inclusivity (through every body-custom fit) and sustainability (through zero inventory and new-age materials).
“Unspun could not have found a partner more aligned in its values to protect the Earth and save humanity than Pangaia. We are banding together to make the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals numbers 12 and 13 possible. Pangaia has a noble mission to save the environment and we at Unspun are grateful to help Pangaia get closer to reaching it.”
Mr Cheung concluded: “Right from the start, we called this project ‘the everybody jeans’. We are proud to work with Unspun and when you see the custom fits, it’s hard not to think that you are looking at a glimpse of the future.”
Image: Pangaia.
