Sails recovered from Team New Zealand’s past America’s Cup victories are being repurposed into a line of trendy sports bags.
Emirates Official Store has introduced Neo, a limited-edition tote bag line that breathes fresh life into sails used in previous world series, regattas, and America’s Cup events since 2011.
The Neo collection will have up to 80 barrel and tote bags constructed from retired North Sails 3Di, noted for their lightweight structure while still durable and resistant to stretching and rips.
The bags will be made of 95 per cent upcycled sails and will have a “retro-feel” with colours, stripes and the deep shapes and angles of Emirates Team New Zealand sail designs throughout the years.
The collection will be exclusively made by Jasani, a UAE-based company that specialises in repurposing discarded materials into useful things.
The collection will consist of sails from an AC45 used in the World Series between 2011 and 2012, an AC50 sail that played an important role in Emirates Team New Zealand’s 2017 Americas Cup victory in Bermuda, and a Code 0 sail from an AC75 that was used and tested in preparation for the 36th Americas Cup in 2021.
The new tote and duffle bags are now available for preorder, priced at US$40 and $68, respectively.
The launch is part of Emirates’ ongoing commitment to sustainability. Emirates’ first upcycled item line, ‘Aircrafted by Emirates,’ debuted last year and was made from upcycled elements from refitted aircraft.