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Trash to Fashion: 13 Chic & Crazy Upcycled Collections

Greta Jonyniate | 10.01.12

We truly love this article from webecoist, which showcases some superb upcycled fashion designs. These garments have been made out of discarded clothes, recycled plastic and paper, woodchips, festival tents, paraglider sails and parachute nets. Our favourite is Christopher Raeburn’s Fall/Winter 2011 collection featuring salvaged military materials. Which is yours?

Trash to Fashion: 13 Chic & Crazy Upcycled Collections

Rescuing discarded materials like parachutes, military blankets, shower curtains, wood chips and festival tents from the dumpster, eco-minded designers create couture that ranges from the cute and totally wearable to the artistic and avant-garde. Whether it’s ready for the rack or meant for the runway only, these 13 collections of upcycled fashion definitely make surprising and innovative use of items others see only as trash.

Recycled Packaging by Karishma Shahani

(images via: arts.ac.uk)

Designer Karishma Shahani distills the colorful essence of her home country of India into a stunning collection of upcycled fashion. “Yatra” includes recycled plastic packaging mixed with natural fabrics like cotton, silk, linen and muslin that were dip-dyed using plants from a local market.

Dresses from Paraglider Sails by Valerie Pache

(images via: valeriepache.fr)

New life is breathed into old, retired paraglider sails by Valerie Pache, a French designer who creates colorful and quirky upcycled garments. Pache takes this material – which she gets for free – and crafts it into dresses, jackets, accessories and even wedding gowns. “People are very surprised to see dresses in this material, especially paragliders who have no idea what can be done to give a second life to their sails. And that seems to make them really happy.”

Festival Tents into Costumes and Rain Coats

(images via: madeinschool.dk)

Long after they have sheltered thousands of music lovers at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival, event tents can shelter fashionistas from the rain in the form of highly unusual upcycled clothing. Designer Lisa Våglund was inspired to use the material after seeing how much trash is left behind each year.

Discarded Wood Chips into Scaled Couture

(images via: ecouterre)

In the hands of designer Stefanie Nieuwenhuys, wood chips rescued from the floor of a university workshop transform into reptilian scales in soft shades of beige. Nieuwenhuys used this inspiration to create a collection of fascinating ‘biomimetic’ corsets, evening dresses, pants and accessories, working with a bio-waste firm to obtain discarded pieces of plywood which she laser-cuts into shape. The designer told eco fashion website Ecouterre that the scales created a “simulacra of nature, without discarding nature’s inherent harmonies.”

Reclaimed Underwear into ‘Knickers Dress’

(images via: design.nl)

Would you wear a dress made of old panties? Designer Antoine Peters gathered up dozens of undergarments and sewed them all up into this kooky experiment in upcycled fashion. The panties are interwoven, and some of the tags are still showing; the designer tried to use every component so that it would be a zero-waste project.

 

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eco fashion, upcycled fashion