UPCYCLING
With the current status of the earth in correlation with climate change, there are many ways in which we as individuals can help in very simple ways. From trying to live in a more sustainable way in daily life as well as with our fashion choices. The fashion industry is starting to become more aware of its impacts on the planet and The Business of Fashion uploaded these statistics onto their Instagram. 53 million tons of fibres are produced by the industry each year. One way in which consumers can easily help with this dilemma of clothing ending up in landfills is by donating the items of clothing that don't serve them to online forums (Depop, TheRealReal) or by going to local charity or thrift stores.
An alternative is upcycling clothing by using the clothes that are not of any use to you anymore and creating a new piece out of it. Some clothing brands are doing this: /id/, Re/done and many others are starting to catch onto this trend. To get more information on sustainability and upcycling links will be provided.
I was able to talk to a designer about her take on upcycling and how she got interested in the upcycling process. Below are some of the pieces she designed and sewed.
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Lauryn is a 17-year-old designer and remarks: Prada. Issey Miyake. Jacquemus. Comme Des Garcon. Maison Margiela. These are just some of my favorite fashion brands that I look up to. Aside from well known fashion brands, I also love vintage clothing and unknown brands you can only find at the thrift store.
I haven’t always been into fashion though.
I’ve been sewing since I was a kid, but it was not my thing because I struggled a lot in the beginning. I took a break for a while until I found some sort of motivation that would bring me back to sewing. Then, in 8th grade, I started to search for clothes that no one else had. The only solution was to make such clothes for myself.
I started using patterns to create simple things, like a plaid crop top and a t-shirt dress with butterfly sleeves. Designing my own clothes didn’t really take off until three years ago. Once I felt comfortable with putting basic clothes together, I began designing my own clothes and pattern drafting with the help of Youtube :) Since then, I have created some of my most favorite pieces yet: my Air Puffer Vest, Dior Inspired Prom Dress, Shirt of Shirts, and SS20 Collection inspired by fishermen clothing.
The SS20 collection is named “No More Fish Left in the Sea.” The title is a jab at the fast fashion industry that pollutes our oceans and water sources with toxic dyes. Learning about sustainable fashion has been something I have been interested in for a couple of years now because it is now more important than ever. Last year, I started to keep and collect all my fabric scraps to reduce my waste as a designer. During the summer, I used those scraps to sew and sell one of a kind tube tops. All the profits went towards the Pacific Links Foundation, they help prevent sex trafficking in Vietnam and its bordering countries.
I hope in the future that I can become even more of a sustainable designer. Right now, sustainable fashion is on the rise, but it comes with a price. If we want more people to hop on sustainable fashion, it’ll be key for the clothes to be more accessible and affordable. And people should know the alternatives to sustainable fashion like thrifting or buying second-hand clothing from places like depop. I think it’s great that thrifting and buying second clothing is so popular now because it’s a much more environmentally friendly alternative.
Fashion has become an outlet for me. It is a niche where I can fully be myself and experiment with a multitude of fabrics and scraps. Fashion has been an entire learning curve, with many creative highs and lows, but I’m excited to continue to keep experimenting with fashion, testing new limits, and learning how to be more sustainable.