In the summer of quarantine, we saw people become creative with their hobbies. Some made bread, others made jewelry, maybe you even found your passion project. My roommate started to cut up her shirts, found her mom’s serger machine, and got sewing to create a hybrid of cut up scraps of fabric.
Upcycling clothes are no new trend, but we all got creative in finding new ways to revamp our clothes with people staying home. Upcycling brands also went viral on Instagram, and Depop like JJ Vintage who recycles vintage Nike t-shirts and makes corsets, Psychic Outlaw – where you provide quilts, and they make you a coat, and featured in this editorial is Depop account, Ambakolla, that only uses thrifted and upcycled fabrics to create sets.
Upcycled fashion has set a wave of rethinking our clothing’s lifespan. The more consumers become aware of the waste the fashion industry produces, cutting up our clothes seems like the easiest way to take a stand.
In a Fashionista article, Dio Kurzawa, the Head of Denim and Sustainability at WGSN, stated that the rise in recycled and repurposed designers and brands are due to “a youth-driven consortium within the fashion industry, [which] is quite poised to support brands that create things in a positive way.”
Words, Creative Direction, and Styling by Daniela Guevara
Photography by Lance Langel
Cinematography by Nolan Woodward
Video Editing by Lauren Helgason
Clothing by Amber Kollar
Makeup by Victoria Long
Talent is Mary Fant