Feature Photo: Tobia Zambotti’s “Couch-19”, a direct reference to Covid-19, is made of more than 10,000 single-use face masks.
Re-Worked / Re-Made / Re-Purposed /
Re-Paired / Re-Cycled / Re-Claimed
In a previous post I highlighted the enormous environmental issue for the planet and the impacts on human health due to the colossal 1.3 billion tons of waste that goes into landfill annually; it’s clear we need to rethink the disposable nature of our lifestyles and instead consider buying into the creative nature of re-worked fashion, furniture and household products, or repairing our existing belongings so they can live on.
This is easy to do with my Guide to eve-RE-thing Re-Worked / Re-Made / Re-Purposed / Re-Paired, Re-Cycled and Re-Claimed. What’s the difference between all these terms, don’t they all mean the same thing? To clear up any confusion, let’s start off with some definitions.
DEFINITIONS:
Re-Worked: make changes to the original version of (something) / Re-Made: make (something) again or differently / Re-Purposed: adapt for use in a different purpose / Re-Paired: restore (something damaged, faulty, or worn) to a good condition / Re-Cycled: convert (waste) into reusable material / Re-Claimed (of waste material) recovered in order to be reused; recycled.
FASHION
The idea of recycling, reworking and repurposing fashion isn’t a new one; Martin Margiela first introduced the concept of re-worked or re-made fashion in the late 1980’s, with the reinvention of found garments, deconstructed then reconstructed, transforming a leather butcher’s apron into a dress and taking apart an antique wedding gown and remaking it into a sequence of jackets, but during the latter half of the 2010s reconstructed clothing became popular within mainstream fashion with brands such as RE/DONE and Vetements popularizing jeans constructed from vintage denim.
Since then, some of the biggest e-commerce sites are based on reselling second-hand items and many fashion brands as well as pre-loved, retro and vintage marketplaces have started reconstructing used or vintage clothing, redesigning and crafting it into new garments – popularly known as “Re-worked” or “Re-made” . These garments are 100% unique and are about bringing new life to something that’s used and doesn’t contribute to textile waste going into landfill, wasting less, and giving pre-loved clothing a second life.
Traditional and ancient methods of clothing repair, such as Sashiko and Boro are also remerging as contemporary fashion statements. Sashiko (“little stabs”) is a type of traditional Japanese embroidery or stitching used for the decorative and/or functional reinforcement, layering or mending of cloth and clothing.
The technique often involved sewing two or more layers of cloth together with running stitch, which created small pockets of air in the clothing, trapping warmth. Since an item of clothing sometimes had to last for three generations, dense stitching helped preserve the fabric, as well as providing a means of repairing with patches.
Traditionally, Sashiko has a distinctive appearance of white-on-blue embroidery, though some decorative pieces may also use red thread.
Boro, another Japanese technique, is the result of repetitive Sashiko stitching over and over the fabric and the term is derived from the Japanese term “boroboro”, meaning something tattered or repaired. The term ‘Boro‘ typically refers to cotton, linen and hemp materials, mostly hand-woven by peasant farmers, that have been stitched or re-woven together to create an often many-layered material used for warm, practical clothing.
FURNITURE & FUNCTIONAL OBJECTS
Today, many contemporary designers are challenging the efficiency of recycling in tackling plastic pollution and the landfill crisis. Recently, Italian designer Tobia Zambotti and South Korean designer Haneul Kim have both used discarded single-use masks in their work, to call attention to the amount of plastic waste being generated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tobia Zambotti’s “Couch-19”, a direct reference to Covid-19, is made of more than 10,000 single-use face masks, collected by citizens of Zambotti’s hometown in the north of Italy. The light blue masks are covered in clear PVC to resemble the tip of an iceberg as a nod to the fact that the 10,000 face coverings used to create the sofa are only a fraction of the 129 billion that have been thrown away globally every month since the start of the pandemic.
South Korean designer Haneul Kim’s design called “Stack and Stack” is made from 1,500 discarded and recycled surgical masks, collected from his university campus.
The recycled stackable stool hopes to set an example for how the 129 billion single-use face-masks that the world goes through every month during the coronavirus pandemic can be diverted from ending up in landfill and in our oceans.
Completely made from the recycled PPE, with no added materials, the stools’ marbled white, blue and pink patterns are derived not from added dyes or paints but simply from the colour of the original masks.
“I remove the metal wire that tightens the nose and the cotton ear loops. This leaves the polypropylene filter surrounded in a non-woven plastic fabric, which I melt using hot air of more than 300 degrees Celsius, when the liquefied plastic slowly cools and hardens again, this creates a tough, durable plastic.”
Haneul Kim
Today, many contemporary designers are challenging the efficiency of recycling in tackling plastic pollution and the landfill crisis. Recently, Italian designer Tobia Zambotti and South Korean designer Haneul Kim have both used discarded single-use masks in their work, to call attention to the amount of plastic waste being generated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tobia Zambotti’s “Couch-19”, a direct reference to Covid-19, is made of more than 10,000 single-use face masks, collected by citizens of Zambotti’s hometown in the north of Italy. The light blue masks are covered in clear PVC to resemble the tip of an iceberg as a nod to the fact that the 10,000 face coverings used to create the sofa are only a fraction of the 129 billion that have been thrown away globally every month since the start of the pandemic.
The UN estimates that up to 75 per cent of these masks will end up in landfill or in our waterways, with PPE already found on 30 per cent of all UK beaches. Over time they will break down into microplastics and will be ingested by marine life, entering the food chain.
Today, many contemporary designers are challenging the efficiency of recycling in tackling plastic pollution and the landfill crisis. Recently, Italian designer Tobia Zambotti and South Korean designer Haneul Kim have both used discarded single-use masks in their work, to call attention to the amount of plastic waste being generated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tobia Zambotti’s “Couch-19”, a direct reference to Covid-19, is made of more than 10,000 single-use face masks, collected by citizens of Zambotti’s hometown in the north of Italy. The light blue masks are covered in clear PVC to resemble the tip of an iceberg as a nod to the fact that the 10,000 face coverings used to create the sofa are only a fraction of the 129 billion that have been thrown away globally every month since the start of the pandemic.
Contemporary designers are also turning to traditional methods of repair, using Kintsugi, or kintsukuroi (golden joinery) the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery that honours the artifact’s unique history by emphasizing, not hiding, the break.
Kintsugi is an art form born from mottainai, the feeling of regret when something is wasted – the areas of breakage are seamed with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, and often reference natural forms like waterfalls, rivers, or landscapes. This method transforms the artifact into something new, making it more rare, beautiful, and storied than the original.
Re-Worked / Re-Made /
COAL N TERRY: COAL N TERRY began as a vintage store selling high quality vintage pieces on Ebay, but has extended beyond vintage to become the online resource for reworked/renewed denim pieces and “witty apparel”.
BEST: BEST is a three floor, treasure trove of selected vintage pieces and reworked items and their own branded goods. Reworked clothing has become their specialty with one off pieces, catering to modern day trends.
BLUE RINSE: Selling a selection of men’s and women’s clothing, their Remade in England range breathes a new lease of life into vintage garments sourced from around the world. Forgotten or otherwise unusable vintage finds are transformed in their Leeds based sewing room, by re-working, dyeing or altering each item.
WE ARE COW: This is a good quality vintage chain specilaising in re-working salvaged and damaged vintage into customised pieces for a collection called Rework.
DIRTY HARRY: Dirty Harry has three whole floors of vintage, retro and second-hand clothing, footwear and accessories, as well as upcycled clothing which attracts customers from all over the world.
LOOT VINTAGE: Loot Vintage is a temple for the creative and unique with rare, hand-picked one-offs from all over the globe and re-worked original items.
RE-FASHION: This online marketplace encourages upcycling by selling cheap “Rag Bags” which contain garments that have slight defects, which are perfect for re-working into hybrid clothing.
SUZY LOVES MILO: Suzy Love Milo offers re-worked and upcycled vintage clothing from around the globe.
Re-Cycled / Re-Claimed / Re-Purposed /
ASTALI: Handmade from reclaimed materials, such as bones, buffalo teeth, coins and other discarded objects and re-purposing them into customize jewellery.
ALEX WALSHAW: Alex Walshaw creates furniture and functional objects from storm fallen and reclaimed wood, and wood grown through coppicing, an ancient and sustainable method of woodland management.
Walshaw combines fresh green wood and relic oak in his furniture designs, forming hybrids of the modern and ancient. He shapes wood with simple hand tools which have long been used for carving, such as axes, knives and adze’s.
Walshaw’s practice is totally embedded within nature. His natural surroundings are the source of his materials, his inspiration, and also act as his workplace, throughout every season. Available at RENTRAYAGE.
“I shape the wood with simple and traditional hand tools which have long been used for carving, such as axes, knives and adze’s. I like to leave traces of the woodworking practice on my works, to add my story to those already present in the wood.”
Alex Walshaw
AUNTI OTI: One-of-a-kind pillows, quilts, and throws hand sewn from vintage fabrics, coloured with all-natural organic dyes. Handmade in India from up-cycled saris and vintage fabrics and individually sewn using Kantha stitching, a method common to the Bengal region. Each piece has its own unique charm and personality with a lightness, durability, and humble artisanal simplicity. Available at RENTRAYAGE.
ARTICLE 22: PeaceBomb is a collection of hand-cast jewellery made in Laos from reclaimed aluminium shrapnel, melted and recast into “PeaceBomb jewellery”, which, provides a sustainable source of income for local artisans. Each piece helps MAG (Mines Advisory Group) clear unexploded ordnance, making land safe.
BEYOND RETRO: Beyond Retro have a network of trained treasure hunters scaling literally mountains of second-hand clothes from what the industry calls “raghouses” around the world to find the vintage diamonds that match their trends. Their Beyond Retro LABEL is a upcycled collection, crafted from reclaimed materials:
LOOPTWORKS: Looptworks identifies salvage opportunities and then recycles materials into stylish new products. Their collections are always unique, like Project Luv Seat, which repurposed 43 acres of leather from Southwest Airlines seats into a one-of-a-kind bag collection and their upcycled masks are made from authentic NBA jerseys, they’re repurposed and upcycled to showcase team pride and reduce excess waste on our planet.
”At Looptworks, the only thing we scrap is the typical way of doing business. We’re a design brand on a mission: to use only what already exists.
All the materials used to create Looptworks products at one time were headed to the landfill, or worse. We intercept and utilize these industry excess materials, transforming them into new, useful products — a process known as upcycling. Our sustainable, eco-friendly products are made in limited editions, and in the process save materials from landfills or incinerators”.
MAAJI: Maaji brings a perfect balance of unexpected elements, in their eclectic and unconventional collections, from completely reversible swimsuits to the latest limited-edition collection of sustainable art-pieces.
RICHARD MALONE: Richard uses discarded local building materials and repurposed ocean plastics to fabricate many of his creations. Richard believes that sustainability is critical to creating something modern.
MATER: Mater uses ethical materials such as renewable or certified wood, recycled waste and new efficient energy sources as a source of inspiration.
The Ocean Garden Collection, designed by Jeorgen and Nanny Ditzel is an innovative way to help with ocean pollution, it’s been made from recycled ocean plastic. In sleek black and soft sand finishes, it has a simple slatted design on a steel frame. Available at AMARA
RENTRAYAGE: is a French word, meaning to mend and to “make whole again,“ and the brand is all about bringing old clothes, vintage fabrics, and dead-stock back to life. But this goes beyond stitching things back together in a new way; this is the groundwork for a new way of thinking along with innovative methods. Expect beauty and value, new shapes, new forms, and new styles from what has been discarded.
Examples include the Tablecloth Dress and the Sweatshirt Floral Dress, re-made from a hybrid of vintage clothing and materials. Each garment is one-of-a-kind, handmade from retired (dead-stock) fabrics and vintage clothing or fabrics, and accessories.
STUDY NY: Brooklyn designer Tara St. James of Study NY strives for no-waste production and incorporates recycled materials into her designs, collaborating with a few other Brooklyn based businesses to repurpose scrap fabric. The Weaving Hand weaves us new fabric from the scraps of the Twist Dress that we then make into a sweatshirt – with pockets! Zero Waste Daniel helps us created a Rerolled Sweatshirt from the scraps of our Logo Sweatshirt. Any scraps that we are not able to repurpose and give a new life to, we recycle.
TONLé: Tonle is a Cambodia-based brand, who are making zero waste fashion accessories and homewares from a combination of deadstock, cut-waste, and textiles that, although high quality, were not seen as fit to be used in industrial production, and other manufacturers consider waste.
Their creative pattern making uses 100% of a given textile, including the scraps and creating garments from reclaimed materials.
Featured is their handwoven Long Navy Moon Wall Hanging, made from small scraps of remnant fabric carefully arranged to channel a moon in the night sky.
This piece is sustainably made from reclaimed textiles as part of our zero-waste process. The wall hanging has a sleeve along the top and comes with a piece of bamboo that slides through the sleeve for easy hanging.
Re-Paired /
KAPITAL: KAPITAL takes its name from Kojima, Okayama, an area known as Japan’s ‘Denim Capital’. The label reimagines mid-century Americana using heritage mixed with utilitarian-inspired workwear, creating original menswear using Japanese production techniques perfected across the decades. Examples include the Nora x Kaya Boro Western Shirt with Sashiko stitching.
PURPLE BRAND: A brand at the intersection of street and luxury, Purple Brand creates an accessible product with top-quality hardware, designer fits and innovative details. Featured are the P003 Sashiko Repair Tapered Jeans with a distressed finish and repair patches with stitch detailing.
SELETTI: Featured is a Hybrid Porcelain Bowl, available at Seletti as well as a range of Kintsugi porcelain homeware.
THE POSITIVE FASHION CAFÉ: Kintsugi Japanese art assumes contemporary shapes. The delicate porcelain is glorified and enriched with gold fragments for a tableweare collection made of charming and unexpected compositions. Example is Glass Design by Marcantonio made from Glass and Gold. Dishwasher proof.
