Julia Roebuck is a British designer who creates eye-catching London street-chic pieces by recycling used or discarded garments from various sources. Roebuck’s got her mind set on more than just a design label; she’s marching her way to the top of the fashion food chain to figure out how to make the industry less wasteful.
Who needs to keep their cubicle stocked with analog paraphernalia now that we’ve all moved to paperless offices? Well, if you’re Margarita Mileva, obsolete office supplies make the perfect components for vibrant jewelry, such as twisty necklaces made from multicolored rubber bands, chokers pieced together from wire binding, and pendants fashioned from circular paper clips.
Now that IKEA has abolished plastic shopping bags in favor of reusable ones, some folks might have amassed more than their share of big blue bags. If that sounds like you, here’s a fun tip from reader Paul Mattingly on how to upcycle four of the Swedish carryalls into a sporty and conversation-starting raincoat. “The IKEA …
Could picking up sustainable clothing be as easy as cruising the dairy aisle? Maybe if Tesco has something to do with it. The British grocery-and-retail giant has tapped designers Orsola de Castro and Filippo Ricci of From Somewhere to develop a limited line of recycled clothing for its Florence & Fred label.
The Gun Reclamation Project takes its philosophy of beating swords into plowshares seriously. The collection of baubles by B-Side Jewelry pillages firearms for parts (triggers, firing pins, recoil lugs) and recasts them as symbols of nonviolence. Launching tonight at a fundraising event for the New York City Gun Buy-Back Program, the …
Philadelphia-based design duo Something’s Hiding in Here uses reclaimed wood and other eco-friendly materials to make funky accessories that are fun to wear and reasonably priced. These chunky hand-shaped wood gems are just the right combination of edgy and homegrown, not to mention we love wearing anything that features the subtle and organic patterns wood grain naturally provides.
Christopher Raeburn was all over London Fashion Week’s’s HQ at Somerset House this year, with not one but three displays throughout the exhibition. Having admired Raeburn’s work since we first spotted his lightly crafted aesthetic back in 2008—remember his recycled hot-air-balloon garments for Worn Again?—Ecouterre was on the scene for an up-close-and-personal look at his Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, which focused on utilitarian traits such as functionality and practical layering.
Keeping tires out of landfills is a tough job considering how many they are. (Multiply the number of cars on the road by four or in the case of large trucks, as much as 18.) Still, tire recycling has evolved beyond roping one onto a tree and calling it a swing. For one Japanese eco-fashion label, scrap tires are also grist for some pretty spectacular sneakers and bags.
When New York University student Emma Kaywin realized that a pile of expired condoms from her HIV Hotline internship were going to the landfill, she asked if she could use them for an art project, instead. Our first instinct was to squirm a little—don’t worry they’re not used—our second was, “cute dress!”
Font freaks and bike geeks can flash the emblems of their allegiance—while keeping their pants up—with Steel Toe Studios’ hand-forged belt buckles. Made from repurposed letterpress blocks and bicycle gears, the steel and pewter pieces transmit …
If Punxsutawney Phil’s weather prognostications are bumming you out, perk those spirits up by ogling Kitty Cooper’s glam array of heels in cheerful, retro prints. Made of vintage fabrics from the ’20s to ’70s by a family business in East London, these ruffly wedges and luscious peep-toes are enough to make any pin-up girl go gaga. Is it spring yet?
One of the secrets to making upcycled accessories really shine is to infuse them with special little quirks that make people smile. Designer Jen McGlashan does just that with McFlashpants, a line of jewelry made from vintage cutlery. From the fork-a-riffic Not So Stabby choker to necklaces topped with wee sprouts, you won’t find anything like McFlashpants at your local big-box shop. …
Love it, hate it, or wonder if it comes with wings for extra night-time protection, the iPad isn’t about to budge anytime soon. If you can get past the feminine hygiene jokes, however, you might as well keep your tablet PC’s fragile visage pristine by placing it securely—discreetly?—under wraps.
We’ve seen upcycled T-shirts and jeans aplenty, but nothing like Stacy J. Lee’s artful reinterpretation of that consummate American ensemble. The New York-based designer’s latest collection, “Re(-)creation,” comprises one-of-a-kind hand-knit accessories, sweaters and dresses made entirely of discarded, damaged, or sample garments. But the eye-popping, versatile pieces, which literally transform in some cases, are far from ordinary.
It was love at first sight for us when we laid our eyes on designer and friend Tara St. James’ “fasten-ating” accessories upcycled from broken zippers, and we’re thrilled to be able to give away two of our favorite pieces to one lucky Ecouterre reader! St. James has put together a special set that includes her elegant single zipper necklace and rocker-chic zipper …
If you’ve ever gazed upon a pretty floral umbrella and thought, “That would make an awesome frock,” then Catherine Charlot is the woman you’re after. Her Brooklyn-based company, Himane, transforms discarded clothing, vintage fabrics, buttons, trim, and even broken umbrellas into retro-inspired dresses that look nothing like their original materials. It’s almost like something out of Cinderella—well, minus the animal helpers and the magic pumpkin.
Designed for the battlefield, these vintage military deadstock fabrics now see a different kind of action: as stylish, functional bags for dudes that won’t have folks questioning your manhood. The outfit responsible for these rough-and-tumble getups? Farm Tactics, a Los Angeles-based label that rescues rare military textiles from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s and hews them into totes, satchels, backpacks, and hip bags by hand.
Fine jewelry and luxury goods may not appear to have much in common with discarded electronic innards, but look deeper and you’ll find that circuit boards are riddled with precious metals such as silver, gold, and copper. Ranging from elegant dangling earrings to sperm-count-shorting skivvies, these seven upcycled circuit-board designs coax the castoffs’ hidden mettle (or is that hidden metal?) back to life. In fact, many of the pieces were part of a group show (“Jewelry_cycle”) in 2008 that sought to raise awareness about the mining industry, e-waste, and overconsumption. And if upcycled metal undies don’t grab people’s attention, we don’t know what will.
