From runway to motorway: Volvo Cars teams up with 3.1 Phillip Lim for sustainable weekend bag
Volvo Cars and 3.1 Phillip Lim, who share a commitment to sustainability and the use of materials made from bio-based and recycled sources, have joined forces to develop a new luxury fashion accessory made from Volvo interior materials.
As one of the leading pioneers in responsible fashion, world-renowned fashion brand 3.1 Phillip Lim has collaborated with Volvo Cars on the passion project to curate a limited-edition weekend bag for the eco-conscious traveller.
From a carbon-neutral dress made from algae to elevated recycled materials, 3.1 Phillip Lim is well-known for pushing the boundaries in sourcing alternative materials to create conscious luxury and effortless style, revolutionising the modern fashion industry.
The designer weekend bag is made from a new sustainable material for Volvo interiors called Nordico and follows the announcement earlier this year that starting with the C40 Recharge, all new fully electric Volvo models will be completely leather-free. This commitment reflects Volvo Cars’ ambition to actively find high-quality and sustainable sources for many materials currently used in the wider car industry.
Nordico is a new, high-quality and innovative material created by Volvo Cars which will make its debut in the brand’s next generation of fully electric cars. Consisting of textiles made from recycled material such as PET bottles, bio-attributed material from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland, and corks recycled from the wine industry, Nordico sets a new standard for the future of premium car interior design.
The perfect companion for a weekend getaway, the bag has been inspired by the essence of Scandinavian design and features discreet storage, a double strap and a special signature pouch.
The eco-conscious bag will also take inspiration from luxtainability: a trend identified in ‘The rise of conscious design’, a report by Volvo Cars and leading trend forecasting company The Future Laboratory to investigate tomorrow’s materials. The emerging trend is driven by the design world’s desire for sustainable materials - without compromising on quality.
While the bag is not available for purchase due to the exclusive limited edition run, people may have opportunities to get hold of a limited number of bags through local market initiatives such as competitions, charity auctions and giveaways.
Phillip Lim, Co-Founder and Creative Director of 3.1 Phillip Lim said: “Sustainability has been a part of the 3.1 brand from the beginning; working to achieve a sustainable balance in everything we do. Our brand mantra is to make less, mean more. Connecting with Volvo on this sustainability project, was an instant alignment of values. I strongly feel that in our collective current state of mind, we have the freedom to find sustainable solutions with new materials, while still being able to achieve high design, which is the ultimate luxury.”
“We have a vision of where we need to go in the future, with the first step to ensure we harness sustainable, natural and recycled materials,” said Robin Page, head of design at Volvo Cars. “The collaboration with 3.1 Phillip Lim, to create a bag inspired by tomorrow’s materials, solidifies both our ambitions to challenge the wider design industry to reconsider the materials we use. From creating runway collections to the interiors of cars, we have a shared responsibility to find sustainable material alternatives.”
For the full version of The rise of conscious design: a report about tomorrow’s materials, click HERE.
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Volvo Car Group in 2020
For the 2020 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 8.5 BSEK (14.3 BSEK in 2019). Revenue over the period amounted to 262.8 BSEK (274.1 BSEK). For the full year of 2020, global sales reached 661,713 cars (705,452), a decline of 6.2 per cent compared to 2019.
About Volvo Car Group
Volvo Cars was founded in 1927. Today, it is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with sales of 661,713 cars in 2020 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding since 2010.
As of December 2020, Volvo Cars employed approximately 40,000 (41,500) full-time employees. Volvo Cars' head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars' head office for APAC is located in Shanghai and for Americas in Mahwah, NJ. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium), South Carolina (US), Chengdu and Daqing (China).
Under its company purpose, Volvo Cars aims to provide customers with the Freedom to Move in a personal, sustainable and safe way. This purpose is reflected into a number of business ambitions: for example, by the middle of this decade it aims for half of its global sales to be fully electric cars, half of its sales to be online and half of its software to be in-house. Volvo Cars is also committed to an ongoing reduction of its carbon footprint, with the ambition to be a climate-neutral company by 2040.
About 3.1 Phillip Lim
Debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2005, 3.1 Phillip Lim was born from a friendship between founders, Phillip Lim and Wen Zhou. Both 31 years of age at its inception, the designer and entrepreneur were pioneers in the accessible luxury space, with the goal of bringing a ‘cool, easy, chic’ wardrobe to the modern global citizen. The brand has since expanded to include womenswear, menswear, accessories and footwear, and currently has 11 stand-alone retail stores worldwide with locations in the U.S. and across Asia. 3.1 Phillip Lim’s contribution to the industry has received global recognition, including 3 CFDA Awards for Womenswear (2007), Menswear (2012), and Accessories (2013). Throughout its 15-year history, the brand has continued to evolve its positioning in the ever-changing fashion landscape to continue as a leader in American fashion.
For more info, please contact:
Jessica Somers
Senior Director, Communications & Sustainability
3.1 Phillip Lim
jsomers@31philliplim.com