Fashion Provocateur Pangaia Opens First Standalone Popup Shop in LA – Sourcing Journal

Tees, trees and technology are major focuses of the four-week Pangaia popup opening Thursday at The Grove shopping complex in Los Angeles.

The temporary shop, located across from Nordstrom, is the first American standalone retail venture for the four-year-old materials science company and fashion brand, which has previously popped up in Europe and Asia and had temporary shop-in-shops in 13 Nordstrom stores this past February to May.

The store carries several product drops including the first available items from Pangaia’s new Uniform Series 01 which covers the leisurewear, activewear, outerwear and accessory categories and will launch globally on Sept. 27. The Uniform Series items feature seven innovations that reflect the brand’s commitment to “high tech naturalism.”

Its Re-Color capsule collection pieces, for example, have been produced with Recycrom dye technology developed by Italy’s Officina+39. The process pulverizes textile leftovers into pigments to create a muted color palette. The tinted powder is made from 98 percent textile waste from Pangaia’s own production leftovers, creating a more circular system. The popup sells two solid colorways from Re-Color, sky blue and apricot orange, which appear on hoodies, shorts, tees and a track pant.

The other six innovations in Uniform Series 101 include Spiber, a hoodie made from a lab-grown, bio-based synthetic protein fiber that does not rely on animals or petrochemicals; Infinited Fiber, a T-shirt made from 100 percent regenerated fibers created from consumer textile waste that is far more environmentally friendly than cotton; Pineapple Shirting, a fabric created from pineapple leaves; Reclaim Capsule, a 50-50 blend of repurposed cotton and organic undyed cotton with a mélange color that requires no additional dyeing; Flwrdwn, an alternative to synthetic and fowl-derived down made from wildflowers; and Grape Leather Sneakers, which employ a leather alternative created from waste from Italian vintners.

“Our goal is to make sustainable innovations the new normal, so that people look at brands and ask what they do for the world. Overall, we would like to set the model for an attitude shift in the industry exemplified through the combination of investing in new sustainable materials and responsible supply chains, creating transparency in communication with consumers, and embracing new business models that celebrate fashion’s ability to be experiential more than purely about consumption,” Pangaia Collective told Rivet in a statement.

The store opening coincides with the company celebrating the milestone of restoring one million trees through the Tomorrow Tree Fund, which it created to support grassroots NGOs with a commitment to plant, protect and restore trees around the globe. From its start, Pangaia has pledged to plant one mangrove tree for every item sold. The Fund is powered by Milkywire, an app and website that allows users to explore and donate to grassroots charities around the world.

An interactive digital display inside the popup encourages customers to plant their own tree via the Fund. The store’s other arboreal nods include a 3D soundscape that mimics the coniferous woodlands of Northern California, a pumped-in fragrance that smells like a combination of greenery, wet soil and moss and an uber-bright green exterior selected to signify the brand’s fight against climate change. The façade is doubly green; it was created from reused and repurposed panels.

“In addition to other locations around the world we looked to pop up in Los Angeles as the city has an inspiring mix of energy, entrepreneurship, and culture that has inspired us on our journey so far. Furthermore, we have been lucky enough to attract a highly engaged community in California and very much look forward to bringing the brand to Los Angeles,” Pangaia said prior to the opening.

It added, “Although our presence at the Grove will only be for the month of September we have a number of physical experiences in the works, each of which will serve as a platform for discovery into the world of materials science innovations and positive impact.”