PADI Gear has teamed up with shark conservationist and underwater cinematographer Andy Casagrande to produce a “signature collection” consisting of travel towel and cap, both made from recycled plastics, and cotton T-shirts, all bearing an example of the Emmy winner’s imagery. They have committed 15% of the net proceeds towards funding shark-conservation efforts around the world.
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“I love sharks more than anything,” says Casagrande. “This special collection with PADI has allowed me to fund their protection and change people’s perspectives about their role in the health of our shared blue planet.”
The PADI x Andy Casagrande towel contains 80% recycled polyester, said to equate to 14 plastic bottles taken from the ocean. The great white shark print appears in full colour on one side and mono on the other, and the towel is said to be quick-drying, light and to pack down “incredibly small”. It costs £34.
The image appears again on the trucker's cap, which contains eight bottles’ worth of recycled plastic, with 35% of that reclaimed from the ocean. It comes in one size and also costs £34.
The Jersey cotton T-shirts are described as sustainable and come in long- and short-sleeved unisex styles (£28 and £26 respectively) or a women’s short-sleeved style (£26), all in black or navy.
PADI says its Blueprint for Ocean Action aims to reduce the number of sharks and rays facing extinction in the next decade by 25%, and that it recently played a part in securing protection measures for 51 species at the 19th CITES meeting. It wants to protect 54 more species in the next three years.
The signature collection from PADI Gear is the third in which it has teamed up with shark-conservationist image-makers, last year producing a Shark Week collection with its AmbassaDiver Mike Coots. PADI says that it has helped remove more than 27,200kg of plastics from the ocean, in a process that “will only continue to grow through special collaborations like these”.
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