Products made out of recycled materials are usually considered rather plain. But musician willi.i.am is out to change this notion. The popular hitmaker has teamed up with The Coca-Cola Co. to introduce a line of clothing and accessories titled Ekocycle. He aims to label recycled products with a cooler image that will attract the attention of the young consumer base.
In an interview, will.i.am stated that out of all the recycled products that are available currently, none of them can be classified as being hip. He added that an element of fashion or art needs to be incorporated into the present range of technology so that even something as simple as a bottle will be transformed into something trendy.
Product Lineup
The very first product that will be launched as a part of the Ekocycle range are a pair of Beats headphones, a widely popular and expensive range conceptualized by famous rapper, Dr. Dre, and music producer and Interscope Records head honcho, Jimmy Iovine, both of whom are friends of will.i.am. The Ekocycle model of the Beats headphones will fall in the high end category, being priced at $349. An Ekocycle hat manufactured by New Era will come for $32.
Extensive plans have been made to team up with a number of other renowned designers in order to sell various products such as shoes, handbags, bicycles, glasses or even luxury furniture. This indicates that the items will not come for cheap, in spite of the coarse image recycled products are mostly associated with.
The promotional campaign is already in motion with the first ad for Ekocycle, consisting of a song and voiceover by will.i.am, all set to air during the Olympic Games, which is being sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company.
Selling Points
Products manufactured from recycled wastes have always been more costly due to the complex processes which are necessary to incorporate the substances. But will.i.am, who is well known for his work with the Black Eyed Peas, and Coco-Cola believe that star power and popular brand names such as Beats can manage to surmount hurdles related to price.
A logo will be present on all the Ekocycle items which will let people know the number of recycled cans or bottles that went into the production of the object. The headphones from Beats contain almost 3 bottles made out of plastic.
The concept should offer a new perspective on waste and recycled items to young consumers. Coco-Cola is expected to donate a share of the profits from licensing to the cause of recycling along with community improvement organizations. Willi.i.am is currently considering methods by which he can contribute a portion of his royalties to charities meant for education.