Jaden Smith has launched his latest, long-awaited venture – a range of high-end suitcases made from post-consumer plastic waste. Called the Harper Collective, it aims to help usher in a new era of sustainable travel.
Five years in the making, Harper Collective is the brainchild of Smith – an actor, musician, environmental activist and son of actor Will Smith – and ex-merchandise director of Selfridges Sebastian Manes.
Together, the pair set out to create a line of lightweight, durable cases from reclaimed plastic waste, which not only tackles the issue of plastic, but is good-looking enough to appeal to a discerning clientele.
The pair admit that there were "numerous mistakes along the way", but they have now revealed pieces that are stylish with a utilitarian design. They are offered in four sizes – cabin, medium, large and trunk – in black and dark green, with black or silver hardware.
Each case is lined in olive green, quilted recycled nylon by Barbour. Customers can have the luggage personalised, by getting their name engraved into the hardware. Prices range from £595 (Dh2,800) for the cabin size, to £795 (Dh3,741) for the largest trunk.
Working in conjunction with a German plastic specialist company Epsotech, each suitcase is moulded from strong, lightweight Sea Plastic polymer HDPE, which uses 70 per cent post-consumer waste, while the remaining third is virgin plastic.
This marks the first time this new formula of plastic has been used for suitcases, and Manes said that every step had to be tested and double-checked.
"We started with 98 per cent recycled plastic, but found we could not effectively mould it into an effective end-product," says Manes. “Developing the product has taken five years."
The use of virgin plastic seems to fly in the face of what the company is setting out to do – which is to reduce the use of new plastic, and instead rework some of the estimated 6.3 billion metric tonnes that litter the planet. However, Smith and Manes are quick to acknowledge that this is still a work in progress.
"We understand that perfection is not always attainable in manufacturing," they say. "But we believe in continuous improvement and innovation to produce better and more sustainable products for our customers."
Despite the use of virgin plastic, Manes says the final product still sits within the company's main objectives. "This material mix supports Harper Collective's promise that all materials are recyclable at the end of the luggage's lifetime,” he adds.
This is far from Smith's first foray into socially conscious business. At age 12, after witnessing plastic waste in the sea, he launched the social enterprise Just, using only replenishable rainwater bottled in packaging made from 88 per cent plant materials. He also worked with New Balance to create the Jaden 574 trainer, made using surplus materials, and also co-founded MSFTS, a sustainable streetwear brand.
He opened the I Love You food truck, selling only vegan food with the premise that anyone homeless could eat for free, while others not only had to pay, but would be charged over the odds "to pay for the person behind you," he explained to Variety. In 2021 he also enlisted his famous family to launch Hey Humans, a vegan beauty line.
More information at harpercollective.co.uk
