Who is Messy the COP Ness Monster?

Culture
Design
Posted 10 November, 2021

Credit: Thred

By Elliot Wheatland-Clinch

London, UK

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Waterbear’s new denim draped sculpture, Messy the COP Ness Monster, aims to prove a circular economy is more tangible than her folklore inspiration.

Ever noticed how the back-pocket of your jeans is shaped like a dragon scale? No? Luckily sustainability-focused streaming service WaterBear did, and they really ran with the idea.

To celebrate COP26 taking place in Glasgow between Oct 31^st and Nov 12^th, WaterBear teamed up with artist Billie Achilleos and circular denim brand MUD Jeans to create a sculpture of Scotland’s legendary sea-monster.

5 metres long and clad entirely in recycled jeans, Messy is a striking reminder of the monstrous impact fast fashion has on the planet.

Approximately 21 billion tons of textile material is thrown away every year. That’s roughly heavier than the volume of water in Lock Ness three times over. And whilst we’re on the subject of water, it takes 8000 gallons (drinking water for one person for seven years) to make a single pair of jeans. That’s a lot of water wasted when your old Levi’s end up in landfill.

What makes these stats a bigger crime than double denim is how easily most of the material could be recycled, reused, repaired, and refurbished.

Messy aims to draw the eyes and attention of passers-by in Grosvenor Square to the ways we could achieve a more circular lifestyle. Surrounding the sculpture are slogans like ‘the future of shopping is NOT shopping’ which will hopefully get denizens of one of the bougiest areas in London thinking more carefully about how much they consume and discard.

Not only is the sustainable message behind Messy admirable, but the sculpture itself is worthy of artistic praise. Luckily for the Thred team, our HQ is close enough to visit Messy on our lunch break, and see first-hand her intricate zipper nostrils and beautifully buttoned underbelly.

All components of the creature, including the bones of wood and steel, will be recycled and reused once Messy has left Mayfair.

Though we’ll be sad to see this visual masterpiece go, there is no shortage of treats for the eyes over on WaterBear.com. The free (that’s right, free) streaming service offers a myriad of documentaries and original content covering topics like sustainability, diversity, climate action, and much more.

We highly recommend.

Elliot Wheatland-Clinch

Head of Production and Design London, UK

Elliot (He/Him) – As Head of Production and Design, I am a fan of all things to do with moving images – film, TV, animation, you name it. Simply put, I love making videos and telling stories, and when I’m not doing that, I’m probably reading them. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback on email.

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