13 Fashion Brands Who Show That Upcycling Can Be Fabulous | Sep 2nd, 2020
Fast fashion is a major contributor to the world’s clothing waste problem. Many of us give our old clothes to charity or drop them in a store take-back bin, but you might be surprised to learn most of it is sold and can end up in the landfill.
- Everyone loves a nice wardrobe refresh but the fashion industry single-handedly produces 4 percent of the entire world’s waste, according to Forbes. That 4 percent translates into roughly 92 million tons of physical waste each year — an absurd amount of garbage that outranks even e-waste, or discarded electronics.
- Upcycling fashion brands provide an excellent option for responsible, sustainable, and ethical production of clothes. Upcycling fashion focuses on giving new life to old clothing products by combining used materials to create vibrant new pieces.
- 13 unique brands that show the world how upcycling can be truly fabulous: Beyond Retro/ Fanfare/ Patagonia/ /id// RubyMoon/ Re/Done/ Urban Renewal/ ASOS Reclaimed Vintage/ Zero Waste Daniel/ Antiform/ Burberry/ Nike/ Reformation.
- These upcycling fashion brands are just a few examples of the growing movement to end fast-fashion in favor of responsible and sustainable apparel. The upcycling industry is rising to the forefront of fashion, and consumers are ready to play their part in the circular economy.
Everyone loves a nice wardrobe refresh. But while it can seem fun to fill your closet with new, trendy items, the fashion industry has major repercussions on the environment and the people who work within the manufacturing system.
Beyond exploiting cheap labor, according to Forbes, the fashion industry single-handedly produces 4 percent of the entire world’s waste. That 4 percent translates into roughly 92 million tons of physical waste each year — an absurd amount of garbage that outranks even e-waste, or discarded electronics.
Conscientious consumers are becoming more informed and aware of how their buying decisions affect the environment. Many are looking for more sustainable practices, such as those outlined in a circular economy. The circular model aims to produce positive social benefit, not just revenue, by exploring new ways to use materials, regenerate natural systems, and reduce waste and pollution. How can we apply these principles while still enjoying fashion choices?
Upcycling fashion brands provide an excellent option for responsible, sustainable, and ethical production of clothes. Upcycling fashion focuses on giving new life to old clothing products by combining used materials to create vibrant new pieces. The process dramatically expands the lifespan of clothing pieces and minimizes wastefulness in the production process — Forbes notes that most fashion waste comes from production.
If you’re looking to make the switch to sustainable fashion, here are 13 unique brands that show the world how upcycling can be truly fabulous:
Fashion shouldn't be fast. Upcycling is the hottest new way to purchase ethically-sourced apparel.
1. Beyond Retro
Beyond Retro is a premier retailer of vintage pieces. The brand is very selective for their retail clothing choices. The exclusive items that make it past the selection process and to the sale floor get sold in funky vintage-themed promotions — like their recent “Garage Sale.”
Every other piece gets reclaimed, repurposed, and redesigned as part of Beyond Retro’s upcycle line, LABEL. Working exclusively with 93 million pounds of secondhand fabrics each year, Beyond Retro’s LABEL line of clothing is affordable, ethical, and creative.
2. Fanfare
Fanfare is a British fashion brand at the forefront of sustainably sourced products. The company designs and produces only one collection a year — a quality that sets them far apart from their fast-fashion peers.
Fanfare focuses on maximizing the lifespan of their creations by transforming them into new pieces and offers upcycling fashion without sacrificing style or quality.
3. Patagonia
Patagonia reigns as one of the original sources of sustainable fashion. The classic outdoor fashion brand uses recycled plastic to create apparel — and has been doing so since 1993. You can find Patagonia’s recycled pieces in their collection, Re\\\collection.
Patagonia also runs an in-house upcycling program. If your Patagonia piece cannot be repaired, you can return it to the company to be reused and upcycled into a new quality product.
ReCrafted | These Are Clothes Made From Other Clothes by Patagonia
4. /id/
/id/ is the brainchild of a mother-daughter business partnership. The company aims to elevate sustainable clothing options and provide unique pieces that empower women to boldly express themselves through fashion.
/id/’s creations are upcycled from deadstock fabric, which is excess fabrics that remain unsold in textile mills.
5. RubyMoon
RubyMoon is a truly unique company that creates activewear and swimwear from discarded plastic found in the ocean. RubyMoon is also committed to upcycling swimwear and activewear as a part of their entirely upcycled line.
Much of RubyMoon’s material is mined from their in-house discount-driven take-back process.
6. Re/Done
Re/Done is a company that sells upcycled jeans made exclusively from vintage denim. Besides creating sustainable products, Re/Done is committed to preserving history and character in their fashion pieces by maintaining original stitching and designs whenever possible.
In a dramatic pivot from earlier practices, Urban Outfitters has joined the sustainability game by creating an upcycled line of fashion. Their upcycled fashion pieces are sourced from deadstock and transformed into exclusive collections for Urban Outfitters. The upcycled line is a positive step for a company still far from implementing great sustainability practices.
ASOS is another major fashion company stepping into the world of sustainably-sourced apparel. ASOS Reclaimed upcycles carefully chosen, authentic vintage clothing from around the world. The line is modern, imaginative, and — best of all — affordable.
Zero Waste Daniel, founded by an esteemed New York designer named Daniel Silverstein, creates apparel entirely from leftover scraps of material. The result is a truly unique and imaginative collection of upcycled clothing with a distinctive patchwork aesthetic.
Brooklyn’s Zero Waste Daniel Turns Trash Into Treasure by NBCLX
10. Antiform
Based out of England, this bold brand reclaims modern materials and upcycles them with traditional heritage pieces. Antiform relies on locally-sourced artistry to create pieces with a unique aesthetic and comfy knitwear appeal.
11. Burberry
Rising from the ashes of an overstock incineration scandal, Burberry has partnered with Elvis & Kresse, a sustainable luxury manufacturer, to transform leather scraps into ethically created upcycled pieces.
12. Nike
As a part of its Reuse-A-Shoe project, Nike upcycles materials from old shoes to create new footwear, fashion, and sports surfacing. Nike Grind’s tagline succinctly captures Nike’s lofty goals of sustainability: “More performance. Less Waste.”
Nike launched a “This is Trash” campaign and invited different designers to create unique looks with Nike’s waste. These unique engineered pieces was launched at NIKE House of Innovation in Shanghai in August, 2020.
13. Reformation
Reformation is a famous brand that upcycles a significant portion of its products from deadstock. Reformation offers a mid-range price point that is worth every penny. You can turn in old clothes into new Reformation shopping credit and trust your old clothes will be made into quality new fashion products.
The Upshot of Upcycling
These upcycling fashion brands are just a few examples of the growing movement to end fast-fashion in favor of responsible and sustainable apparel. While the upcycling fashion industry once suffered from negative public assumptions, sustainably sourced and upcycled clothing is finally having its moment in the sun.
Upcycling fashion is not the rundown, hand-me-down clothing of yesteryear. Ethical fashion is as unique, expressive, and trendy as fast-fashion — if not more so — and it comes without the guilt of damaging the world we live in.
The upcycling industry is rising to the forefront of fashion, and consumers are ready to play their part in the circular economy. If you’re ready to move forward to a brighter and more sustainable future with your business, explore Miniwiz’ innovative solutions.
Shop without guilt: the sustainable future of the fashion industry is here. Check out Miniwiz' Solutions for more information!