You could soon be wearing a genuine piece of Virgin history as Virgin Balloon Flights has taken a step towards greater sustainability with a range of clothes made from recycled hot air balloons.

The UK’s leading balloon rides business has teamed up with Worn Again - a sustainable products and services company - by donating two decommissioned Virgin balloons for its Autumn/Winter 2009 collection.
The huge red balloons, called G–TVBF ‘Tango’ and G-VVBF ‘Victor’ each flew thousands of lucky passengers on balloon rides from locations throughout England, Scotland and Wales, and had reached the end of their lives.
But rather than going on the tip or being mothballed, the nylon fabric has been used for the new range called Bon Voyage! by talented young designer Christopher Raeburn, who featured in this year’s London fashion week.
The products, which include a Cheeky Sling bag (rrp £19), a Red Hot Air reversible hooded jacket (rrp £95) and a Mile High Club ladies’ parka (rrp £325), are being ‘RE:made‘ in the UK and will be launched in September.
They will be sold online and through selected ethical clothing stores, such as Terra Plana, and a percentage of every sale will go to sustainable lifestyle charity Anti-Apathy.

Alexander Ferguson, Head of Communications & Marketing for Virgin Balloon Flights, said:
“We recognise the importance of making our business as sustainable as possible and, by creating these fantastic, desirable products from our waste with Worn Again, we have taken a practical step towards this goal.
“The chance to own part of an iconic Virgin hot air balloon is not to be missed, especially as you’ll also be supporting sustainable lifestyle charity Anti-Apathy.
“It is a lot of fun working with Worn Again and the balloon flight for the photo shoot was amazing. It was quite surreal to be in the basket with people wearing the prototype balloon jackets. It was particularly strange for Damon, our pilot on the day, as he used to fly the actual balloon they were made from!”

The Worn Again Virgin project is one of several practical things Virgin Balloon Flights is doing as part of its approach to sustainability and corporate responsibility. It is also working with the Climate Tree - an initiative of The Forest Trust - by investing £1 for every tonne of carbon produced annually in projects to fight tropical deforestation and raising funds for Virgin Unite’s Mission Possible.
Cyndi Rhoades, founder of Worn Again, said: “We're delighted to be giving a second life to these retired Virgin hot air balloons. It's such a fantastic fabric to work with and lends itself well to stylish and functional outerwear and bags.
“The fact that the balloons were both made and flown in the UK is an ideal fit as we launch our first range of RE:Made in the UK products.
“The history of the balloons provides such a romantic and characterful story to tell behind every product. In their future they can now be worn again by Virgin aficionados."
To own a piece of Virgin history visit www.wornagain.co.uk/collections/virgin-bon-voyage
Buy your hot air ballooning adventures at www.virginballoonflights.co.uk