A pair of jeans has been custom-made to fit Cleopatra. The idea for Cleopatra’s Jeans came from Wunderman Thompson and its Taiwan tech client, TG3D Studios. The purpose of the jeans is to highlight fashion pollution. 85% of all textiles are thrown away every year (UNECE, 2018). A huge proportion of these are from returned clothing purchases, single-handedly creating 2.3 billion kilograms of waste and 15 million tonnes of carbon annually, in the US alone (Optoro, 2019). Much of this ends up in landfill, a waste of the excessive energy, carbon and water use caused by the wasted production. This is particularly true when it comes to denim, which is sadly one of the most polluting fabrics to produce.
The jeans are the result of many months of collecting and combining historical research with data collection: by measuring hundreds of contemporary Coptic Egyptian women, who closely resemble the ancient queen, according to historical archives and genetic data. Through this, the body measurement data for Cleopatra was calculated and then used to design and produce a perfectly fitted pair of denims, specifically tailored for the Egyptian queen.
By using cutting-edge 3D scanning, historical and genetic research to calculate the timeless style icon’s body shape, the jeans demonstrate the possibility of creating a perfect fit for anyone in the world. As a call to arms, the jeans pave the way for a future where every order can be tailored perfectly to the customer – meaning no returns, and no waste.
Cleopatra’s Jeans are an attention-grabbing example of how tech can solve the sizing issues behind clothing wastage. They are being used as a visual statement to the denim and fashion industries, “Let’s work together to find innovative solutions to make textile waste history. Let’s make fashion’s future waste-free”.
The jeans were presented at a launch event at the Fashion for Good Museum, a museum dedicated to sustainable fashion in Amsterdam. During the event denim expert, Mariette Hoitink, of the House of Denim Foundation, and the fashion industry leaders of the future from Amsterdam Fashion Institute discussed textile waste and possible solutions.
Mariette Hoitink, founder House of Denim Foundation, commented, “Fashion has a challenge with waste, we all know that. We should buy less and more consciously. The fashion and denim industries are working hard to address this – but technology will be the crucial factor that makes the difference in the race against waste
One of the biggest contributing factors to fashion pollution is badly fitting clothes from e-commerce. A recent Wunderman Thompson report showed 69% of fashion spending is now online. More than half of e-commerce customers knowingly over-order (Pitney Bowes, 2019), and roughly 72% of American shoppers returned badly fitting items over the 2018 holiday period (Bodyblock AI, 2019). A huge proportion of returns are then destroyed, piling fuel on the fire of the fashion industry’s wastage crisis.
If technology could create a perfect fit for anyone in the world there would be no badly fitting clothes, fewer returns and less waste.
Carlos Camacho, executive creative director at Wunderman Thompson Amsterdam, stated “Using innovation to make a pair of jeans for someone that died thousands of years before jeans were even invented is not only awesome but also shows how body scanning can play a role in making a more sustainable fashion industry.”
Bas Korsten, global chief creative officer, Wunderman Thompson, added, “As an innovative creative agency, our mission is to bring creativity, technology and humanity together. And we’re interested in creating campaigns or statements that explore the intersection of those three domains. Cleopatra’s Jeans is just that: a provocative statement and an inspiring conversation starter – a symbol for how technology can drive us towards a zero-waste future. I’m already looking forward to seeing Napoleon’s jeans, Joan of Arc’s jeans and of course Mozart’s jeans.”
Credits
Wunderman Thompson:
Global CCOs: Bas Korsten & Daniel Bonner
APAC CCO: Sheung Yan Lo
Wunderman Thompson Amsterdam:
Executive Creative Director: Carlos Camacho
Head of Art: Tunchan Kalkan
Producer: Martijn van Hees
Senior Creatives: Jasper Korpershoek & Khlaus Feldhaus
Web Designer: Nando Correa
Project Manager: Charlotte Lilly
Wunderman Thompson Hong Kong:
Managing Director: Matt Parry
Associate Creative Director: Kiefer McKenzie
Senior Creative: Paddy O’Mahoney
Digital Creative: Nicole Hedemann
Account Head: Sandra Gin
Web Developer: James Yong
Motion Graphic Designer: Tim Arnolds
PR Director: Jessica Hartley
Production & Post Production: Macarena Films
Sound Studio: Canja Audio Culture
Photographer: Ale Burset
