Bella Thorne On Her Hemp Clothing Collaboration: 'Our Planet's Health Is So Important'

Hemp fabrics are here to stay.

Following the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, which brought the ban on hemp initiated in 1937 to an end, a number of companies started developing high-end hemp textiles, defying our notions of what these products looked like. So much so, that even luxury hospitality brands have been embracing hemp textiles.

In one of the latest moves in the mainstreaming of hemp textiles, actress, writer and director Bella Thorne joined forces with DRIHP Hemp Clothing, a new, environmentally friendly apparel company founded by Luke Dandrea, who also secured deals with influencers Jay Alverrez and Rachel Cook to serve as brand ambassadors.

Bella Thorne, Jay Alverrez and Rachel Cook - DRIHP Hemp Clothing

“Hemp has been reborn. It was a clear decision to dedicate resources to influencers to spread the message that hemp can save valuable resources like water,” Dandrea explained. “Hemp’s derivative products can serve as alternatives not only to textiles, but to plastic products, building materials and even ingredients for the food industry.”

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But DRIHP is more than just an apparel line, he added. “The brand stands for quality and a dedication to developing an ingredient that can help to save our environment.”

Bella Weighs In

This is not Bella Thorne’s first foray into the cannabis industry. Last year, Thorne, launched a cannabis and CBD brand, Forbidden Flowers, in partnership with Glass House Group’s Glass House Farms.

At the time, she explained why she had joined the industry: “I'm sorry, but if marijuana is going to stop your kid from committing suicide, or if weed is going to help your kids who has eating disorders; or if weed is going to help your kid with their overwhelming anxiety… Just get over it. There’s much worse things than weed.

“The world has changed, it is a different day and age, and weed is no longer really looked at as a straight-up drug,” she added.

Now, this partnerships is different. Hemp does not carry the same stigma as regular marijuana does, mostly because it’s non-psychotropic, meaning consuming it won’t get you high or stoned. In fact, hemp has been used for centuries to make all sorts of things from textiles to foods to plastics.

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So, what’s behind Bella’s latest collaboration?

“Our planet's health is so important, as is its natural resources,” she told me. “I'm proud to align with a company that makes eco-friendly textiles.”

Bella explained DRHIP uses hemp to make its clothes, and this has a “very low impact on the environment.” Yet, she added, the apparel is “stylish and comfortable.”

A Sustainability Issue

Bella went on to develop on her thesis on hemp and hemp textiles.

“Hemp [production] does not use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or GMOs,” she said. “As an organic product, where hemp is grown, there's no pollution of ground water, soil or air.”

Bella Thorne - DRIHP Hemp Clothing

Bella worries about the planet, and this is why she likes DRIHP. She asked: could the world’s rainforests really could be depleted by year 2100? Is it possible that we run out of water by 2040?

Could hemp provide an option to replenishing trees? What about cleaning our air and saving water?

And, if we saw the world, not as it is, but as it could be, could a clothing line be more than apparel?

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“I'm thrilled to aligned with DRIHP… a company that is forefront of creating textiles that are environmentally friendly,” Bella concluded. “It is so important that we take care of mother earth and ourselves. By using Hemp, DRIHP, is using less water than cotton to process; substantially lowering our use of this precious necessity. The brand is creating well-fitting and ecofriendly clothes that look great and make you feel good.”

Next up for partners Luke Dandrea, Barrett Wissman and Jay Alverrez is to explore the myriad other uses of the hemp plant including biodegradable alternatives to plastic. The strategy is to first show how a simple shirt can carry with it a deeper message that grabs the consumer’s attention.

Stay tuned in for more developments in this front.

This article was originally published on Forbes, and republished here with permission.