ORTA is taking its partners through a virtual scenic route.
The Turkish manufacturer is expanding its New Denim Route with an immersive experience that combines storytelling, textural details and a bit of “zenfulness” to bring its country’s scenery and denim origins to life.
Highlighting its commitment to transparency, traceability, eco-innovation and regenerative processes that close the loop on denim’s environmental impact, ORTA has launched an online virtual reality (VR) denim journey that encapsulates its world-class development and manufacturing with a dynamic, 3D view.
The limited launch premiered at the virtual Kingpins24 event, held April 20-22, 2021, and will be available for its partners this summer.
Transparency, storytelling and immersion are at the heart of the VR experience. Recognizing that global society is still struggling through the pandemic and companies aren’t traveling to suppliers, ORTA wanted to create a unique, sensory-stimulating environment to engage its guests and partners.
The experience showcases premium denim collections that are closing the loop with pre- and post-consumer cotton fibers, and breaking paradigms with biodiverse hemp fabrics, earth-derived clay, henna and eco-positive dyes.
Developed in collaboration with Muse/VR, the VR journey is the extension of ORTA’s “New Denim Route,” a supplier and resource platform designed to make the denim production process more transparent for all parties. It uses the exhilarating and peaceful experience of a hot air balloon ride as its navigation, taking the guest on a scenic route of ORTA’s origins.
The journey takes flight from the Bosphorus Bridge, an historical, yet modern landmark in Istanbul that connects Europe and Asia. The balloon soars toward the enchanted terrains of Cappadocia, then onward through Turkey’s serene Kayseri, a scenic and historic jewel that is home to ORTA’s eco-leading manufacturing facility. Finally, the voyage travels toward the majestic Mount Erciyes and the original Silk Route marketplace of Sultanhan Caravanserai.
In each location, guests will discover the textures, details and history woven into every eco-positive fabric and natural dyes. ORTA selected VR as its medium in order to animate the intimate details and textures in 3D. This VR journey allows guests to roll around in the fabrics in a mindful game-like interaction that lingers in a beautiful location.
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Before guests “take flight,” they must select one of five hot-air balloons for their tour, with each one featuring different collections, materials and offerings.
For example, the green balloon tours give insight into ORTA’s certified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, calculating the environmental impact made throughout each stage of denim production from raw material extraction to packaging.
The brown balloon offers a sneak peek into ORTA’s eco-raw materials offerings, including the ethically sourced, hemp-derived Gen H, as well as organic and recycled (pre-and-post consumer) fibers. The blue balloon shares examples of ORTA’s biodiverse sourcing capabilities.
If the viewer selects the orange balloon, they will get a look into the denim manufacturer’s eco-innovative Bio Awake collection of natural dyes, including Henna, Earth Colors and Halys, which is eco-coated with earth-friendly natural clay.
Finally, the multi-color balloon tour is dedicated to ORTA BLU, the denim manufacturer’s sustainability division. During the tour, viewers will discover ORTA’s Golden Ratio, a standard for blending pre- and post-consumer recycled cotton and natural fibers to produce climate action denim. The Golden Ratio is part of the company’s goal to design toward a world without waste.
The VR experience not only engages the senses but is designed to be a change of pace from the typical viewing of denim products on e-commerce sites or at trade shows.
Learn more about ORTA’s New Denim Route, a supplier and resource platform for everyone who loves denim. Learn more about the VR experience on YouTube, and discover more about ORTA BLU at Ortablu.org/transparency.