Soulwaves, literally “waves of the soul,” was born in October 2019 as a fashion and sustainability project. The goal: to contribute and raise awareness about environmental issues and ongoing climate change.
The first to believe in sustainability were David, Serena, and Alessandro, three guys from Venice, founders of the brand. Thanks to their passion for nature and training in communication and design, the three founders have always been committed to protecting the environment. Their flagship product is t-shirts made with organic materials and customized with real messages to wear. The graphics become a link between the creativity of the group and the sustainability it promotes. If communication has always been a vital prerogative of this brand, visual storytelling now becomes a challenge to explain the emergency in place. Always with a positive point of view, so much attention is paid to the social acceptance of issues considered “environmental behavior.” From these issues comes the latest project, “GHOST FISHING,” with the collaboration of IENA CRUZ, a well-known environmental mural artist.
The Sustainable Values
Soulwaves uses the term sustainability, although today may appear very inflated. In their story, they manage to protect some principles, in which they explain their sustainable path.
The Care: through the proceeds collected from the sale of products, Soulwaves supports many environmental causes. It promotes donations and active participation, environmental and social campaigns, and activities to protect the seas.
Sustainability: through the positive graphic interpretation of the most heartfelt environmental issues, Soulwaves talks about environmental sensitivity and seeks to promote social change.
Responsibility: a value that Soulwaves aims to develop in all phases of the production process of the garments, from conception to sale. Not surprisingly, the t-shirts are made of organic cotton STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX ®, and the packaging is recycled and reusable.
These same values are shared by the collaborations they implement. An example: is the SOULWAVES + IENA CRUZ project.
Model: David Catenacci
Model: Blanca Maria Biason
Sustainability: from Murals to T-shirts
Federico Massa, aka IENA CRUZ, is the protagonist of a Soulwaves project that sees sustainability placed in the foreground. One of the most interesting Italian names in the international scene related to urban art and one of the few with a strong focus on sustainability. His culture and curiosity have always been elements that characterize his poetic expression. In common with Soulwaves, there is not only the Italian nationality, the basis of a beauty that represents us, but also the desire to create important messages. In recent years, IENA CRUZ has tried to sign its path in sustainability through a green approach. Hence the decision to use ecological coatings that can retain smog. This type of material has a process similar to photosynthesis: through light, the pollutants attach themselves to the paint and, during the night, are transformed into salts. To support this, the urban artist had to get involved, making a change in the working method. Despite this, sustainability as a value has prevailed towards a path of consciousness, which has allowed him to communicate his art to the world.
IENA CRUZ with SOULWAVES shows himself to everyone, changing the support and telling the greatness and universality of a message, even in small dimensions. The important thing, as he says, is to “have the means to generate” a reflection that hides the artist’s expressive value and personality.
Sustainability on your Back: “GHOST FISHING.”
The project that sees IENA CRUZ and SOULWAVES close come from the desire to advance with concrete acts along the road of sustainability. In particular, to stimulate us to perform positive accomplishments in the progress and awareness of the climate situation in which we find ourselves. The first step is environmental communication: by choosing and wearing the t-shirt, we take part in the change, bringing an ethical and sustainable message to the world.
What message could we be the spokesmen of?
The SOULWAVES t-shirt features an exclusive illustration by IENA CRUZ, with the theme of “GHOST FISHING,” the process from which the project takes its name. In intensive fishing practices, many plastic fishing nets are dispersed more or less intentionally. This creates severe consequences for the seabed and the environment. To suffer is all the fauna and flora connected to the marine habitat and not only.
In the illustration, the net becomes the main pattern. Inside it, the representation of a coral, the stylization of a city, the drawing of two species of fish, and much more. All crowned by the presence of the iconic wave, emblem not only of SOULWAVES but above all of the living soul that inhabits the sea.
The emergency concerning fishing nets and coral reefs has been graphically interpreted with a positive work of high artistic expressiveness. Part of the proceeds collected from the sale of the t-shirts will be donated to Worldrise, a non-profit organization that develops projects for the conservation and enhancement of the marine environment.
Also, the packaging of the t-shirt wants to make us think: a net will be the package with which this garment will reach its buyers.
Graphics, communication, and fashion are once again at the service of ethics and sustainability.
Attention though, we must choose to communicate, even if only by wearing a t-shirt.
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