Food waste has been a severe problem since mass food production came around, and countless solutions have been thrown at it, composting, fermenting, responsible buying, food banks, etc. Yet none of these solutions have prevailed. Our idea is a simple one, to tackle food waste by reinventing the fashion industry. Extracting the household cellulose that exists in plant cell walls (orange peels, apple cores, vegetable roots) we can spin the fruit and vegetable excess into fabric without wasting the delicious meat.
While doing research into the problem we're trying to solve, talking and consulting with people in less fortunate situations, we've come to realize that our whole lives we've been living in a really confined bubble. Attending boarding and international schools, getting whatever we wanted, never having to struggle financially, our lives were vastly different from those that we are now talking to. The whole process started to make us realise how lucky we were to be in the positions we were in, inspiring us come up with our motto, to "pop the bubble", look at the world around you, and help wherever you can. Our idea brought to our attention how much people take certain things for granted, overshopping, overproducing, and wasting food, while others struggle wondering where their next meal is coming from. By taking food excess and turning it into something meaningful, we give purpose to something that otherwise would've been trash. Our idea allows people to get the maximum value out of fruits/vegetables. Whether it's a large manufacturer who donates orange peels to help the cause, a local farmer who exchanges his banana leaves for clothing or money, or an average person collecting and trading in apple cores because they like our designs, anybody can benefit from our system. We rely on people willing to pop their bubble, to look outside of what they're used to, putting in a little bit of effort to help turn trash to treasure.
The origin of our name Verdile comes starts with us discovering the orange juice industry of a small city in Italy, Sicily. In Sicily, the overwhelming orange juice industry leads to a lot of oranges grown for the meat, and a lot of trashed orange peels. This inspired our idea of extracting the cellulose from plants and vegetables to spin into clothing. Our name, Verdile, is a combination of two Italian words, Verde and stile, "green fashion". When combined, Verdile means "to give away", one of our core beliefs, giving away and helping people.