New Nature - Padina Bondar

Padina Bondar is the winner of the Sustainable Fashion/Textiles category. Padina is a Textiles MFA graduate from Parsons School of Design and is originally from Iran. Padina’s work New Nature is the development of a sustainable yarn called "New Nature" through a proprietary process focused on upcycling discarded low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is often used in single-use plastic products such as garbage bags. It is soft, stretchy and both water & air-proof; qualities with dire environmental consequences that can conversely become advantageous when the material is upcycled into textiles.

The textiles created using New Nature yarns are durable, easy to clean, comfortable, versatile and malleable. In this circular system, used plastic bags are collected and spun in an energy-efficient process that drastically reduces secondary pollution. While the tools used are engineered specifically for this procedure, the techniques used are inspired by traditional yarn and textile-making crafts. This monofilament yarn is available in a wide range of plies and gauges, allowing it to be knit, woven, sewn, embroidered, crocheted, and made into lace by hand or machine. The waste and off-cuts from this process are heat pressed into sheets and used to produce sequins, beads, and other embellishments.