Retired sails get a second wind as Emirates unveils Neo collection

Collection features tote and duffle bags made from upcycled Emirates Team New Zealand sails

Dubai, UAE, 1 October 2024: In support of Emirates Team New Zealand gearing up to defend its champion’s title at the America’s Cup, Emirates Official Store has launched Neo, a limited-edition tote bag collection that gives new life to sails used at previous world series, regattas and America’s Cup competitions dating back all the way to 2011.

The Neo collection will feature up to 80 barrel and tote bags made from retired North Sails 3Di, known for their lightweight structure and underpinned by their durability and resistance to stretching and tears. The chic bags will consist of 95% upcycled sails, and will have a retro-feel, cut with the colours, stripes and deep shapes and angles that have characteristically defined the iconic Emirates Team New Zealand sail designs over the years.

The collection will be entirely produced by the UAE-based manufacturer, Jasani, and reflects the airline’s ongoing commitment to minimising waste across its own business activities, in addition to exploring opportunities with partners like Emirates Team New Zealand to repurpose and extend the life of materials destined for landfill and turn them into valuable products.

The sails in this collection include:

• A sail from an AC45 used in the World Series between 2011 and 2012, leading up to the storied 2013 Americas Cup in San Francisco.
• A sail from an AC50, which played a pivotal role during Emirates Team New Zealand’s 2017 Americas Cup victory in Bermuda.
• A Code 0 sail from an AC75, used and tested in the  lead up to the 36th Americas Cup in 2021, which saw another victory for Emirates Team New Zealand.
• Emirates first upcycled items collection debuted in 2023 with the launch of ‘Aircrafted by Emirates’. The limited-edition range of products were made from upcycled materials from retrofitted aircraft and carefully ‘made to order’ by  Emirates’ tailors in a dedicated cabin workshop, at the airline’s Engineering facility in Dubai.

The airline will further announce new collections of upcycled items from the Neo line in the coming months.