A limited-edition capsule collection made from recycled Formula 1® materials.
We’ve partnered up with one of the most innovative fashion companies in the world, BEEN London. We’ve created a limited-edition collection of sustainable merchandise items made from recycled DHL banners, which famously adorn Formula 1® tracks around the world. BEEN London is a multi-award winning accessories brand.
There are only 23 sets available, in honour of the number of Formula 1® races for the 2022 season happening around the world. Items: Duffle Bag, Backpack, Laptop Case and Card Holder.
BEEN London collection: the materials
The limited-edition collection is the result of multiple conversations about circular design and the possibilities of giving a new life to DHL Formula 1® advertising banners.
Advertising banners are tricky to recycle, so the best use for them is to give them a new life.
During the 2021 season of Formula 1®, our DHL banners were found trackside on the side of the circuit. To avoid waste, the DHL Motorsports team collected them. BEEN London then used the banners to create a timeless collection. It combines the DHL yellow and red with the spirit and design aesthetic of Formula 1® by using 100% recycled leather. We use felt to line our laptop cases, which gives discarded company textiles and corporate uniforms a second life. We make the tapes of our polyester zips from single-use plastic bottles, which have a short lifespan but harm our wildlife and oceans for hundreds of years. To make the zips, we break down and pulverise the plastic waste before spinning it into yarn.
BEEN London collection: the process
Once collected by the DHL Motorsports team, the banners were sent to the BEEN London studio in East London. There workshop team assessed them. Each piece of the Circuit Collection has been handcrafted by the BEEN team. As each item has been made with a different section of the banner, the pieces are truly unique.
BEEN London’s ‘impact first’ approach means they worked carefully to create the products in line with their core principles. Firstly this includes zero waste pattern cutting. Secondly it’s about thinking about a products end of life (no glue, only stitching). Lastly, it’s about working with corners in creative ways using stitching and folding techniques.
The Perfect Collaboration
BEEN London, an award-winning brand, produces fashion accessories entirely from recycled materials. British Vogue describes them as one of the most innovative fashion companies in the world, and they base everything they do on their zero-waste and impact first approach. They make every BEEN London piece entirely by hand in one of the last remaining East London leather workshops. Londoners with learning disabilities package their products, and their carbon footprint is on average 10 times smaller than a high street equivalent.
Supporting a great cause
All proceeds from the collection go to a social enterprise closely aligned with our values. Plastic Bank reduces the amount of plastic entering waterways and oceans by establishing ethical collection branches within 50 kilometres of oceans and waterways.
