Learn how an entrepreneurial MUN student is turning plastic bottles into fashion

It all started with a broken fence.

TrevorBessettehad just moved into a new place and he needed a table. Hebuiltone with the remains of the fence and something litup inside him.

"Ifell in love with the idea of turning whatpeopleconsider trash or garbageand giving it new life," he told theSt. John's Morning Show.

Now, he's making clothes from pop bottles, in a fashion.

Pop bottlesand cotton scraps

Seaside Apparel's sports T-shirts are made entirely from recycled plastic drink bottles. The plastic is turned into a polyester that feels like traditional polyester used for sports shorts.

"People are usually surprised at how soft it is," Bessette said.

Thecompany also uses material made fromcotton scraps collected from sewing room floors. SeasideApparelhoodies, for example, aremade from a mix of the pop bottlefabricand thefabricmade from scraps.

The fabrics are ethically made in North Carolina, he said, and the clothing is sewn in Haitiand Guatemala at co-op manufacturing facilities.

All the screen printing is done by local companies.

'Join the fight against plastic pollution'

Seaside Apparel's goal, he said,is"to help jointhe fight against plastic pollution, over-consumption and to give Newfoundlanders and Labradorians an alternative to fast fashion."

It's a fight Bessette became interested in a few years ago, after takingcourses on the subjects at Memorial University.

"I started wondering if there was something I could domyself tomake a difference," he said.

A portion of Seaside's profits alsoget donated to local clean-up activities.

Right now, people can buy the clothes on the Seaside Apparel website. He also sets up pop-up shops, and he'll be selling his wares at the Royal St. John's Regatta next week.

Bessetteis happy with the slow-and-steady pace of his business's growth,and is aiming for an eventual expansion to the rest of Atlantic Canada.

"One by one, as people see it and want to join the whole movement, that's the ultimate goal."

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