From Plastic Waste to Wolfpack Wear: NC State Launches Apparel Collaboration
By Liz McLaughlin, WRAL Climate Change Reporter
A teen-founded North Carolina apparel company partnered with NC State University to create Wolfpack gear from recycled materials and fund ocean plastic removal.
A new collection at Wolfpack Outfitters started with something most shoppers would not expect to find in their closet: discarded plastic.
NC State partnered with Coastal Cool, an apparel company founded by a North Carolina teenager, to create a limited collection of swim trunks and cabana shirts made from recycled polyester derived from plastic waste.
The company says manufacturers collect materials, including plastic bottles, bags, and straws, process them into flakes, and transform those flakes into fibers that become fabric.
Coastal Cool ties each purchase to ocean cleanup. Through a partnership with the nonprofit Tidey, the company funds the removal of one pound of ocean plastic for every item sold. Since launching six years ago, Coastal Cool says that its effort has helped remove more than 100,000 plastic bottles from the ocean.
The collaboration arrives as concern about plastic pollution continues to grow. The world generates more than 350 million tons of plastic waste each year, according to international estimates, and many plastics can remain in the environment for hundreds of years before breaking into smaller pieces that spread through ecosystems and waterways.
For founder Holden Bierman, environmental impact was not the original business plan.
Bierman started Coastal Cool at age 12 with a $500 loan from his parents and began printing apparel from his bedroom during the pandemic.
“I thought, hey, we can do something that creates positive change and looks also cool at the same time," Bierman said.
Now 18 and recently graduated from high school, Bierman said the company has expanded through online sales, retail partnerships, and national television appearances, including “Fox & Friends” and “Good Morning America.”
About six months ago, NC State contacted Coastal Cool about developing a collaboration for Wolfpack Outfitters.
“It’s really cool to take a vision from my side of things and NC State’s vision and put it on swim trunks and matching shirts for alumni, families, and athletes to support the Coastal Cool mission but also support the school,” Bierman said.
The collection was developed with Design Den, NC State’s apparel design and production shop inside Talley Student Union. The final design incorporates artwork and visual elements that utilize the Belltower and a history of logos through the years.
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A teen-founded North Carolina apparel company partnered with NC State to create Wolfpack gear from recycled materials and fund ocean plastic removal.
Jennifer Gilmore, director of marketing and communication for Campus Enterprises, which oversees Wolfpack Outfitters, said the partnership aligned with the university’s interest in supporting North Carolina businesses while offering products students may not find elsewhere.
“We’re always looking for local companies, especially those that offer fresh and exciting products that we can bring to our fans,” Gilmore said. “Coastal Cool was one of those perfect collaborations.”
Gilmore said supporting North Carolina companies remains an important goal for Wolfpack Outfitters.
“It’s really important to us to support the local economy,” Gilmore said. “We have so many great artisans in the North Carolina area that we want to support and showcase their unique products.”
She said sustainability increasingly influences how students think about the products they buy.
The apparel collaboration is not the first example of recycled materials appearing on campus. Gilmore noted that NC State graduation gowns are also made from recycled plastic bottles, reflecting a broader effort to incorporate reused materials into products students interact with every day.
For Bierman, seeing Coastal Cool move from a bedroom startup to a display inside Talley Student Union feels like another milestone.“It’s been awesome to see students wearing it on campus," Biermann said.
“We’re always looking for local companies, especially those that offer fresh and exciting products that we can bring to our fans,” Gilmore said. “Coastal Cool was one of those perfect collaborations.”
Gilmore said supporting North Carolina companies remains an important goal for Wolfpack Outfitters.
“It’s really important to us to support the local economy,” Gilmore said. “We have so many great artisans in the North Carolina area that we want to support and showcase their unique products.”
She said sustainability increasingly influences how students think about the products they buy.
The apparel collaboration is not the first example of recycled materials appearing on campus. Gilmore noted that NC State graduation gowns are also made from recycled plastic bottles, reflecting a broader effort to incorporate reused materials into products students interact with every day.
For Bierman, seeing Coastal Cool move from a bedroom startup to a display inside Talley Student Union feels like another milestone.“It’s been awesome to see students wearing it on campus," Biermann said.