Upcycling

Vogue, 2020.

Vogue identified upcycling as the biggest trend of Spring Summer 2021 (Chan, Emily. 2020), with WGSN predicting that the reworked phenomenon will continue as a strong trend which is shaking up the fashion industry and attitudes towards waste and discarded items. With the pandemic leading to between £125 billion to £142 billion worth of excess inventory from Spring Summer 2020 collection, more than double the average (Chan, Emily, 2020); it is an appropriate time for designers and brands to embrace upcycling, and test new ways to reduce waste.

Although the word ‘upcycled’ can be seen to have negative connotations within the fashion industry, particularly luxury, emerging brands such as 1/OFF Paris work to design unique pieces, which is rarely possible in an era of fast fashion and mass production. This exclusivity has helped to increase acceptance and positive connotations around the sustainable practice, paving a way for a more original and expressive contemporary industry. This view is echoed by Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen, who began working with surplus materials in 2020; “it makes the product more exclusive and limited and adds value” (Chan, Emily, 2020).