Black Algae Pants

Built with silk-like cotton from the Nile Delta, and dyed in black algae.

$395.00 $197.00
Size

Model is 5ft 11 / 180cm with a 32 inch / 81cm waist, and wears size Medium.

  • Made with Karnak Menoufi from the Nile Delta
  • Garment dyed in black algae dye
  • Dye made from algae waste
Every pair of Black Algae Pants starts with a world-class base material – a rare cotton called Karnak Menoufi. One of the lightest, softest materials on the planet, Karnak Menoufi is a silk-like cotton that’s only found in the Nile Delta, and only grows in the years when the rain, soil and wind conditions are perfect. We combine this with ultrafine nylon and elastane for durability and stretch, before submerging the finished pants in a giant bath of the world’s first black algae dye.

Over 5 years of R&D have gone into creating a black algae dye, as each individual particle in the pigment has to be microscopically small – at an average of 1 micron. While most dyes are still petroleum based, the algae we use starts life in huge open-air ponds where it absorbs carbon dioxide and pumps oxygen back out into the atmosphere. The result is a pair of super lightweight, breathable and fast drying pants, with a naturally faded look created by the garment dyeing process.

Technical Details

Material made in Italy: 64% cotton, 32% polyamide, 4% elastane
Highly breathable
Fast drying
Two way horizontal stretch
Two open side pockets
Two back pockets with button closure
5 belt loops
Button fly
Pants weigh 325 grams
Material weighs 149g/m2
Machine wash inside out at 30ºC
Constructed in Portugal
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We start with the softest cotton from the Nile Delta

Each pair of Black Algae Pants starts with a world-class base material – a rare cotton called Karnak Menoufi. One of the lightest, softest materials on the planet, Karnak Menoufi is a silk-like cotton that’s only found in the Nile Delta, and only grows in the years when the rain, soil and wind conditions are perfect.

They’re super lightweight, highly breathable, and come with a beautifully faded look after being dyed in giant baths of black algae.

We turn cotton into a high-performance fabric

While Karnak Menoufi is already extremely soft and robust, we’ve added durability and stretch by combining it with elastane and an ultrafine nylon in Italy. The result is an advanced, lightweight material that feels extremely soft next to your skin. And it’s the exact same high-performance material we use to build our Equator Pants for extreme heat.

Constructed with four pockets

You’ll find two open pockets at the front of the pants. And there are two more pockets at the back of the pants which each fasten with a bio-resin button.

Buttons made from plants and vegetables

The fly fastens with four buttons made of buffalo imitation bio-resin – a natural, non-toxic and water-based material we’ve produced by combining plant and vegetable waste with a polyester resin used by the aerospace industry.

The algae we use starts life in huge open-air ponds where it grows by feeding on sunlight, carbon dioxide, water and nutrients.

The first clothing dyed with black algae

We’re on a mission to show that black algae dye can be a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum-based dyes. So over the last few years we've been working with US biomaterials company Living Ink to accelerate the adoption of black algae as a way to colour clothing. After their founders Scott and Steve discovered that an algae cell is almost identical in size to a carbon black pigment, and can create the same colour, they’ve been on a mission to replace carbon black with black algae waste.

To create a black algae dye, each individual particle in the pigment needs to be microscopically small – an average of 1 micron.

Our algae starts life in giant ponds

The algae we use starts life in huge open-air ponds where it grows by feeding on sunlight, carbon dioxide, water and nutrients. These ponds contain vast quantities of spirulina algae which absorb carbon dioxide and pump oxygen back out into the atmosphere. While the majority of the algae is used to make natural food colourings, the rest of the algae is harvested and used as the base for black algae dye.

Size + Fit

The Black Algae Pants are designed with a regular fit. If you’re on the borderline between two waist sizes, we recommend going for the larger size.

Size XS S M L XL XXL
Fits waist 71 - 76 76 - 81 81 - 86 86 - 91 91 - 96 96 - 101
Outside leg 101 102.5 104 105.5 107 108.5
Size XS S M L XL XXL
Fits waist 28 - 30 30 - 32 32 - 34 34 - 36 36 - 38 38 - 40
Outside leg 39.7 40.3 40.9 41.5 42.1 42.7