The famously trash-strewn grounds of thefailed Fyre festivalhaven’t turned one of its former directors off of garbage. In fact, he’s now using it to do some good.
Oren Aks was responsible for the viral social media posts that have become synonymous with the disastrous music event held in the Bahamas in April 2017.
He spoke out against Fyre co-founders Billy McFarland and Ja Rule inHulu’sFyre Frauddocumentary, garnering support on social media andeven from Chrissy Teigen.
Ja Rule and Billy McFarland.
After moving abroad and laying low following the fallout from Fyre, Aks has redirected his creative energy into designing a line of high-end rugs made entirely — and ironically — of plastic waste.
courtesy the Knot Collective
Heteamed up with The Knot Collective, which partners with various creatives to create floor coverings made of 100% recycled materials. The company’s ethos, according to a statement provided to PEOPLE, is just about as far from that of theFyre Festivalas possible: “Addressing the ethical impact of consumption,” and “the effect of the way we live on a human level, as well as an environmental one.”
The company identifies their ethically handmade rugs as “pieces of limited edition art,” and will only ever produce six of each of Aks’s designs.
“Owning just one Knot Collective rug will come with the knowledge that around 3,855 plastic bottles have been diverted from a landfill, meaning each rug purchased is made from 100% post-consumer material,” says the company’s director Mark Hanlon.
The Knot Collective also donates a portion of profits from each rug to Goodweave, an organization that is working to end child labor in the textile and carpet-weaving industries.
One thing the designer won’t be doing? Returning to the luxury music festival scene.
“I think there’s plenty of room in the market for a festival of this magnitude if done right,” Aks toldPeople Nowin January. “And trust me, since this happened, I’ve gotten at least two dozen emails from people who think they will pull it off and want my help, which won’t happen.”
source: people.com
