Ecouterre » Reused / Recycled Eco-Fashion

Fashion “World Changer” Orsola De Castro Speaks Out On Textile Waste

Amy DuFault — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:00:16 +0000

In a perfect world, designers would have the ability to address all the environmental and social challenges fashion faces them with. For From Somewhere designer Orsola de Castro, co-founder of Esthetica, the sustainable showcase of London Fashion Week, it all began in 1997 when she started tackling the growing textile waste in the fashion industry.

The pioneering designer will be addressing her environmental journey in fashion this Monday the 29^th at an event at Alain de Botton’s The School of Life. The event is part of the World Changers series, where The School of Life looks at individuals who have helped changed the world. The series features author John-Paul Flintoff who talks to prominent individuals who have made a huge difference in the world “and who believe that anybody could do the same.”

Ecoutere asked de Castro how she thinks she’s personally changed the world.
“I honestly don’t feel that I have changed the world, nor gone anywhere near it. I just had an idea that over the course of the past few years that has struck a cord, a creative design solution to an environmental challenge,” she says.

When de Castro first launched her London-based brand in 1997, she says she simply wanted to address the issue of pre-consumer waste, and the piles and piles of material created and yet never used by the fashion industry.

“For me it was a creative journey, not originally an environmental one. I liked, as a designer, reusing unwanted stuff, I liked the poetry, irreverence and sense of humour behind it. Then, little by little, factory by factory, it turned into something deeper, bigger and more powerful,” she says. Clothes began to have a message, a story behind them.
“It started with a cashmere cardigan with holes in 1997, and by 2002 I was knee deep in textile waste,” de Castro adds.

Author John-Paul Flintoff says of the designer “What I found inspiring when I first met Orsola de Castro was hearing how she takes a problem and turns it into a solution – specifically, turning the massive amount of waste generated in the fashion industry (essentially, off-cuts) and using that ‘pre-industrial’ material to create something extraordinary,” he says referring to her dress made out of Speedo swimwear which made him “laugh out loud with pleasure.”

Flintoff says that during the event at The School of Life, de Castro will encourage participants to find creative ways to turn problems into solutions, and how to find allies who can help you to make a bigger impact.

De Castro agrees that these “allies,” be they customers, students or colleagues are very important to further the message of sustainability through fashion.

“The world is a big place and my contribution infinitesimal. But each time someone wears a From Somewhere piece, or a student discovers upcycling, and each person tells this story, that’s the beginning of a dialogue that raises questions,” de Castro tells Ecouterre.

In a perfect world, how would she envision a more mainstream approach to fashion?

“Sometimes we need to look back to move forward. I would like to see a different approach, a more responsible approach to manufacturing as well as designing, a return to wanting and waiting and a stronger emotional engagement with the clothes we buy. Right now, many people buy because they can, not because they want. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s luxury or high street, I like being in love with the things I own.”

+ From Somewhere
+ The School of Life

Snoop Dogg, MTV Team Up With Jewelry for a Cause to Recycle Illegal Guns

Yuka Yoneda — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:00:48 +0000

While his sudden name change had people up in arms for a while, Snoop Lion (or Snoop Dogg, if you’re old school) has been stirring up controversy in a different way lately. He’s thrown his weight behind a new line of jewelry that turns illegal guns into wristwear. Called MTV x Caliber, the bracelet he wore to the MTV Movie Awards is being sold to help fund future gun buyback programs in Newark, NJ.

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE: Fonderie 47 Recycles Confiscated AK-47 Rifles Into Luxurious Jewelry

While Snoop, with his new, pacifist image, is the ambassador of MTV x Caliber and the larger Caliber Collection of jewelry, the designer behind the line is Connecticut-based Jessica Mindich. The brand’s fitting name was the brainchild of Mindich’s 12-year-old son and alludes to the idea that by taking illegal guns off of city streets, you raise the caliber of the community.

Mindich was originally sought out by MTV to create the bracelets for them as favors for the MTV Movie Awards, but at the time, her supply of actual metal from guns was very low. As a workaround, the prototypes worn by Snoop Lion (and other stars like Macklemore) were made of other types of metal and instead etched with actual serial numbers from a buyback event that was held in Essex County, NJ. According to MTV, the next batch of MTV x Caliber bracelets is expected to be made of 100% recycled gun metal.

For every $40 spent on an MTV x Caliber bracelet, $8 will go towards the Newark PD to buy back more guns. According to MTV, the Caliber Collection has already raised enough funds to allow the department to extend an April gun buyback event an extra day.

+ Caliber x MTV Bracelet $40

[Via Fast Co.Exist]

Trash to Trend Debuts First Mass-Produced Upcycled-Clothing Collection

Morgana Matus — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:00:40 +0000

CRITICAL MASS

Years of research led Aus to create the “Upcycled Collection,” a line of mens- and womenswear that defies convention by being the first to be mass-produced from production leftovers. Made in collaboration with Beximco, one of the largest textile and clothing manufacturers in Bangladesh, the collection requires 70 percent less water and 64 percent less energy than its conventional counterparts. It also creates at least 40 percent less overall production waste, according to Aus.

The collection requires 70 percent less water and 64 percent less energy than its conventional counterparts.

Trash to Trend grew out of Aus’s doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts, where she explored various techniques of using textile waste to decrease the fashion industry’s environmental impact. In her thesis, Aus proposed a “Trash to Trend” model that allowed designers to create fashion from pre- and post-consumer textiles in a way that minimizes a garment’s impact while facilitating serial production.

LEVELING UP

Targeted at independent designers who wish to apply green-design techniques, as well as brands who want a sustainable solution to their textile-waste problem, Aus’s model includes a “waste-mapping” database that provides a real-time overview of what, where, and how much textile waste is being produced in a specific region. Another of Aus’s suggestions is a Web-based interactive framework that allows for direct communication between waste generators, designers, and clients. “This way, a transparent product chain is created, waste data is accessible, techniques are shared, and upcycled products can be sold and marketed,” she says.

Aus’s model includes a “waste-mapping” database that provides a real-time overview of how much textile waste is being produced in a specific region.

Aus chose Bangladesh as the site of her study—and the genesis of her collection—for good reason. “[Bangladesh has the] biggest textile problem,” she tells Ecouterre. “They have no waste-management—most of their waste is sent to China, dumped in a landfill, or burned. Of 8,000 factories only five have water-treatment.” To create her pieces, Aus worked with Beximco, which produces 56 million garments for the likes of Calvin Klein, H&M, Tommy Hilfiger, and Zara each year, to repurpose the waste of some of its more prodigious customers.

But waste isn’t all Aus is concerned with. She’s also working on a documentary about working conditions at the factories she’s visited and the often toxic chemicals employed to make our clothes.

+ Trash to Trend
+ Reet Aus

[Via Nordic Initiative, Clean and Ethical]

Aussie Bride Creates Wedding Gown From 10,000 Recycled Bread-Bag Clips

Lori Zimmer — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:00:24 +0000

Stephanie Watson’s wedding gown has something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue covered. The recent bride’s multicolored dress was made of 10,000 bread tags collected over the years by Watson, her husband Will Wapling, and countless family and friends who lent their hand at collecting the plastic tags. Ten year’s later, the tags were fashioned into a dress and the couple tied the knot.

Watson herself is a fashion designer, and gave herself the challenge of putting the dress together herself. She and Wapling had joked over the years that they’d get married once they collected enough bread tags to cover a dress- a feat which ended up prompting family and friends to join in the collection, bringing over their white, red, yellow and blue tags to the couple’s home.

Treating the tags like scales, Watson creating an overlapping pattern, which also disguised the stitching. The 10,000 plastic tags were sewn with her sewing machine onto a cotton drill base fabric and a corset underneath. All in all, the fifteen pound dress only cost Watson $36- but took her hundreds of hours to make.

But despite its complicated construction, the dress is also a symbol of Watson and Wapling’s years of being together. Each tag bears a “best by” date, bring back memories of their time together over the years.

[Via TreeHugger]

Nudie Jeans Recycles Worn-Out Jeans Into Hand-Loomed Denim Rugs

Jasmin Malik Chua — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:00:01 +0000

Nudie Jeans isn’t about to let a good jean go to waste. The Gothenburg-based denim firm is transforming destroyed dungarees into Scandinavian-inspired rag rugs. Reclaimed from Nudie’s own customers, the jeans are cut down to serrated strips, sewn together, and rolled up on spools. Together with indigo-dyed thread for the weft, the strips are then woven by hand on a manual shuttle loom. “No fabric ages quite as beautifully as denim,” the brand says. “The longer you wear your jeans, the more character and attitude they acquire.” The post-consumer recycled rugs are available at Nudie brick-and-mortar concept stores across the globe, including the Nudie Jeans House in Los Angeles.

+ Nudie Jeans

European “Healthy Seas” Initiative to Turn Used Fishing Nets Into Socks

Bridgette Meinhold — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:00:45 +0000

Our oceans are full of trash and debris, but now a new consortium of European companies and NGOs have a plan in place to collect that debris and recycle it. Aided by the European Centre for Nature Conservation (ECNC), plastics manufacturer Aquafil and sock maker Star Sock have announced a new initiative that will collect debris, especially fishing nets, and transform into new nylon for textiles. Since 2011, The ‘Healthy Seas, a Journey from Waste to Wear’ initiative has already collected 16,000 tons of pre- and post-consumer waste and turned it into new polymers and yarns.

Every year, approximately 640,000 tons of fishing nets are abandoned in the oceans, accounting for one-tenth of all marine litter. The Healthy Seas initiative aims not only to clear the oceans of this and more debris, but to turn it all into something useful. Currently, the initiative is developing best practices in the North, Adriatic and Mediterranean seas, so the project can be rolled out worldwide in coming years. They are also identifying methods to discourage abandoning fishing equipment and encouraging responsible use. Finally the group will share their findings with governments and other organizations to encourage best practices.

The bulk of their work though is to physically collect and recycle the ocean debris. To this end, Aquafil created a new product, Econyl, a nylon product from recycled plastics. Econly can be used in a variety of applications, including fiber for synthetic carpet, textiles for apparel and for injected molded plastics. In 2012, the material was made using 30% post-consumer waste collected from the oceans, but this year in 2013, they will bump up the ocean-collected recycled content to 50%. For every 10,000 tons of Econyl produced, the initiative will eliminate 11,000 tons of waste, save 70,000 barrels of oil and avoid 41,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

+ Healthy Seas Initiative

Liz Collins Uses Upcycled Knits to Explore “Void” in Fashion Consumption

Amanda Coen — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:00:07 +0000

New York based artist and designer Liz Collins creates groundbreaking structural and surreal designs using machine knitting. Her latest exhibit, “The Void,” examines fashion consumption and includes pieces that range in scale from long, hanging wall pieces to sculptures to clothing. To accompany the exhibit, Collins has created a limited-edition capsule collection of unisex sweaters that will be available at a trunk and sample sale this Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Textile Arts Center in Manhattan.

Liz Collins has been in the fashion world for years, but recently returned to her own work after a seven-year hiatus working for other designers and teaching at RISD. Collins has long been dedicated to contributing to the sustainability conversation surrounding waste and consumption. For instance, her 2005 KNITTING NATION installation and performance project featured a small army of uniformed knitters who operated knitting machines to quickly build large-scale installations. It was shown at venues such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art/ Boston and the Tang Museum.

“The Void” celebrates Collins’ return to creating her own designs that challenge viewers to re-consider consumption patterns. Huge wall hangings cover the brick interior of the Textile Arts Center in Manhattan and a heap of colorful machine knit pieces sit piled up on the floor prompting thoughts about production, quantity and scale.

The capsule collection that forms part of “The Void” features a variety of loosely fitting sweaters, all of which were created in Peru and will be available for pre-order. Those who are able to attend the trunk and sample sale will also be surprised by the treasure trove of unique designs. Wearable pieces made from re-purposed materials such as post-consumer garments and knit embellishments will be available to try on as well as one-off experiments and select items from Collins’ archive. In fact, many of the designs for the capsule collection are actually recycled from their first versions proving that fashion can be timeless. Collins explains, “What was once interesting, high quality and well designed is always that way. This is what good design is about, regardless of the product.”

The internationally recognized artist has shown during New York Fashion Week and will be on hand on Saturday for the trunk and sample sale. Don’t miss your chance to meet Collins, make her unique designs a part of your long-term wardrobe and ask her any burning questions related to fashion and sustainability! The trunk and sample sale takes place at the Textile Arts Center on 26 West 8th Street in Manhattan this Saturday, March 16, 2013 from 12-5pm.

+ Liz Collins

+ Textile Arts Center

Artist Upcycles Vintage Teeth, Prosthetic Eyes Into Macabre Accessories

Morgana Matus — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:00:15 +0000

Photos by Gosia Janik y Fernando Ocaña

Like something out a Terry Gilliam film, FEEAS jewelry by Remedios Vincent creates jewelry from antique medical instruments, porcelain figures, and prosthetics. Drawn to objects that have to do with the human body and its improvement, he chooses each piece for its beauty, longevity, and ability to make a statement about he current state of planned obsolescence in fashion. With his motto, “made to dislike”, Vincent’s work stirs feelings of morbid fascination through eyelash encrusted glasses, false eye rings, and broaches spangled with teeth. More than just a way to repurpose aging, outdated medical technology and discarded toys, FEEAS jewelry uses historical context and craft to comment on the lack of quality and skill we find in current industry-driven style.

“What fascinates me about antiques, besides the great formal beauty that I find in each piece that I choose, is how well that were designed and executed, you only have to look at how they have lasted and that they can continue to do so. Many of the things that I use are more than a century old and still carry out the function for which they were created. Today it is very difficult to find anything that is regularly used, which is not too expensive and exclusive, that has a long life. Obsolescence is part of the world in which we live, there is the need to feed the machinery of consumption.”

Each object carries a story from someone who lived at another time. Piecing together these narratives like a collage, he positions broken porcelain in the “most macabre” and humorous way that occurs to him, and blends old tools and machinery into traditional jewelry. He generally shuns precious metals and opts for objects of little commercial value. What Vincent appreciates is the ability to intervene “minimally in the materials” that come together to complete his vision.

Vincent remarked that he does not particularly see himself as a fashion designer or an artist, but as someone who makes pieces of an artist character that do not have a specific or commercial purpose. For him, fashion is too fleeting and changing for his aesthetic approach which deals more with the idea of longevity. However, self adornment and expression through clothing should still be something that pays respect to the environment.

“We must look at what we have around us and think about sustainability in the most natural and closest form to our daily lives, with no one daring to sell it as an added value. It is not ethical for us to dress and “decorate” ourselves in a way that damages nature and our fellow men, in any manner whatsoever. As fashion is an industry that moves so much money, wouldn’t it be logical to assist in the development of the environment in which it is conceived, instead of being so interested in searching out cheap production in countries where there is no objection to the ruthless exploitation of workers?”

He crafts his pieces with primarily with the intent of inspiring emotion and transforming things that were simply utilitarian and practical into ornamental. For most of his pieces, Vincent sees them more as works of art than objects to be worn. He cautions that if they are to be taken out into public, they should be delicately cared for and recognized for their fragility. One-of-a-kind creations, his efforts into displaying the detail and attention of lasting craftsmanship counter the current desire for quick, cheap, and meaningless jewelry.

+ Made to Dislike

Luis Teixeira Recycles Perfume Bottle Caps Into Interchangeable Rings

Helen Morgan — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:00:25 +0000

Photos by Fabrice Ziegler

With their often extravagant forms, perfume bottles are collectors’ pieces in their own right. So why throw them away when their aromatic cargo runs dry? Luis Teixeira didn’t. The Portuguese designer gave hundreds of perfume-bottle tops a new lease on life by recycling them into an eclectic array of rings. Comprising 360 different designs, each one representing a “degree of a circle meaning the complete turn of the recycling,” Teixeira’s “Lust” collection includes only a single ring base. Thanks to a system of magnets, the wearer is able to swap tops at will, creating what Teixeira describes as a “change-and-go facility.”

Read the rest of Luis Teixeira Recycles Perfume Bottle Caps Into Interchangeable Rings

Louise Gray Goes “Derelict Chic” at Autumn 2013 London Fashion Week

Jasmin Malik Chua — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 13:00:21 +0000

SHABBY CHIC

“I’m into recycling—it’s a nice concept,” Gray told British Vogue after the show. The designer, who once described her ideal client as “someone who is fun,” was certainly in a playful mood. Emblazoned on a title card above the catwalk was a single, unapologetic motto, “Hey Crazy.”

Gray’s designs were equally exuberant, a madcap maelstrom of color, pattern, and texture.

Gray’s designs were equally exuberant, a madcap maelstrom of color, pattern, and texture. Loud and brassy as her pieces may be, beneath the swagger lurks an unmistakable dedication to craftsmanship. (Consider, if you will, the deftly quilted skirt-suit, the layered double-faced slip dress, or the neo-kimono jacket with tiny zipper darts at the waist.) “I’ve found a confidence in tailoring,” she said. “I really focused on it after looking to our customer and thinking about what she wants.”

Meanwhile, try not to squeeze the Charmin, will you?

+ Louise Gray

[Via British Vogue]

Michigan Web Designer Turns Canadian Quarter into a Wedding Ring

Alyssa Alimurung — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:00:56 +0000

Making a ring from pocket change may be an old-hat concept by now, but for a web designer with no metalworking experience to take on the task of outfitting his fiancée? Now that takes amore. Michigan resident Richard Crawford decided that a store-bought wedding band would be too impersonal, so he decided to make one himself using a 1945 Canadian silver quarter from eBay. (His bride-to-be, elementary school teacher Sarah Bontinen, is Canadian.) Obviously he had to make do with whatever tools he had, but Crawford was also able to fashion a “very specialized jeweler’s tool” using a spoon and hammer.

SELF-MADE MAN

“I’d been vaguely aware that it was possible to make a ring out of a coin for a while so I did some (extensive) online research to figure out the details and whether or not it would be feasible,” Crawford told the Huffington Post on Monday. “I figured I would give it a shot.”

Crawford intends to create his own wedding band out of a British silver shilling to honor of his birthplace of Scotland.

After drilling a hole in the coin, Crawford used his makeshift instrument to smooth the edges of the coin. Six hours of tapping later, it was the correct width. He then used a Dremel-like tool to widen the hole before sanding the rims and the surface of the ring to give it a clean finish.

Unfortunately, Crawford wasn’t able to maintain the element of surprise, since he knew the metallic tapping noise would give him away. “[Bontinen] seemed enthusiastic but a little skeptical in that way that people are when you tell them that you’re going to hit a coin with a hammer until it becomes a wedding ring,” he said. “She was pleasantly surprised when she saw the finished product.”

Crawford is so pleased with the result, in fact, that he intends to create his own wedding band out of a British silver shilling to honor of his birthplace of Scotland. “I’m a firm believer that you can accomplish anything if you tackle it sensibly and put the effort in,” he said.

+ DIY Wedding Ring

[Via Huffington Post]

U.K. Artist Upcycles Vintage Shoes, Cellphones Into Literal “Walkie Talkies”

Lori Zimmer — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:00:14 +0000

Sean Miles is giving the term “walkie talkies” a brand new meaning. The U.K. artist has created a series of “handsets” by embedding cellphones into the soles of various vintage shoes, including a Christian Louboutin heel, a Nike Air trainer, a classic men’s brogue, and a Hunter Wellington boot. No new cellphones were harmed in the making of the wacky devices: Miles worked with O2, a mobile telecommunications provider that also pays people to recycle unwanted gadgets, to transform outdated Nokia and LG models into fully functional—and wearable—works of art.

GET SMARTPHONE

Miles created his shoe-phones not only for amusement’s sake but also to get people talking about the need to recycle, rather than throw away, old electronics. “I’ve been using them while out with friends and they never fail to start a conversation, even when I’m not using them as a phone!” he told the Daily Mail on Monday.

Britons purchase roughly 30 million new cellphones every year, according to O2.

Britons purchase roughly 30 million new cellphones every year, according to O2. “While we may not be able to upcycle every phone that we receive, I hope that this project will prompt a few more of the 30 million people a year who buy a new handset to recycle their old one,” Bill Eyres, head of the company’s recycling arm, said. “There’s a huge environmental need to dig out old gadgets so they can be used again, rather than lying unused and unloved in the drawer.”

O2 either sends recycled phones along for others to use or strips them of their metals for repurposing. “We’ve all got a role to play in making sure that phones live on even when we’ve finished with them,” Eyres added.

Miles isn’t planning on stopping at shoes, either. The designer has his eye on phone-bags (so we don’t have to scramble to find our phones in the bottomless pits of our purses) and phone-gloves next. “I wondered how I could make phones that people might be embarrassed to be seen with into something that would give them a new lease of life—which is what upcycling is all about,” he said.

+ O2 Recycle

[Via Daily Mail]

“Two Guys” Craft Bow Ties From Reclaimed Wood, Fabric

Morgana Matus — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:00:37 +0000

SNAP ONE ONE

Two Guys began when, well, two guys named Adam Teague and Tim Paslay came up short in their quest for the perfect bow tie. Turning to wood was a “natural adaptation” for them, Teague and Paslay tell Ecouterre. “We both have built things out of wood for years and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use some sophisticated tools and techniques to create something we would love to wear.”

The ties come in basic, premium, and limited editions, depending on the wood used and the complexity of the design.

The ties, which begin at $45, come in basic, premium, and limited editions, depending on the wood used and the complexity of the design. Centered on every tie, in lieu of a knot, is a swatch of contrasting fabric, one that might even have been part of a vintage necktie in a previous life.

Two Guys also creates custom ties for weddings and other special occasions. Something else to look forward to? Wooden cuff links, which are due to launch in the first half of the year.

+ Two Guys Bow Ties

Tamara Kostianovsky Upcycles Clothing into Semi-Realistic Flesh, Bone

Jasmin Malik Chua — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 23:00:22 +0000

Photos by Sol Aramendi

Lady Gaga should get in touch with Tamara Kostianovsky. The Argentina-raised, New York City-based designer turns unwanted textiles, including her own clothing, into semi-realistic depictions of flesh, bone, and gristle. Now showing at Maison et Objet in Paris, Kostianovsky’s creations hang like freshly butchered carcasses on meat hooks. As symbols of “violation and murder,” the pieces are meant to disturb, Kostianovsky says. “My intent is to confront the viewers with the real and grotesque nature of violence, offering a context for reflecting about the vulnerability of our physical existences,” she adds.

+ Tamara Kostianovsky

[Via Inhabitat]

Australian Designer Turns Salvaged Paintings Into Sci-Fi-Inspired Jackets

Morgana Matus — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:00:56 +0000

SALVAGED CHIC

Appropriately, Pezzano named his collection “Apparition.” “I like that the fabric was found and has a unique history, that [the jackets] are one-off, handmade, and come with deep sense of mystery,” he tells Ecouterre, adding that they would fit easily “on the [alien] planets of Tatooine or Caladan.

“Found materials have an inherent charm that can never be replicated,” Pezzano says.

The designer isn’t a stranger to scavenging for his art. A “naturally frugal” critic of today’s fast-fashion industry, Pezzano chooses to work only with deadstock fabrics, organic cotton, wool, and reclaimed fabrics. “For me, these jackets represent everything I see as important when it comes to creating clothes,” says Pezzano, who embellished his creations with handmade scrap-leather buttons. “Found materials have an inherent charm that can never be replicated. I believe the use of reclaimed materials is the pinnacle of sustainable fashion because nothing is being made.”

After all, every manufactured material, whether organic or not, has an impact on the planet, he says. “Upcycling is even better than recycling because less energy is being consumed,” he adds. “Tread lightly? This is zero treading. Reverse treading even.”

+ Apparition Jackets
+ Urbandon

[Via Sass Brown]

Upcycle Broken Christmas Lights into Sparkly Holiday Accessories

Tiffany Threadgould — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 13:00:55 +0000

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

Old Christmas lights
Pliers
French hooks
Necklace chain
Jump rings
Thumbtack
Wire and beads (optional)

TO MAKE EARRINGS

1. Remove lights from Christmas strand. Take your tack and poke a hole through the plastic end part of the light.

2. Thread a jump ring through the hole.

3. Thread the French hook through the jump ring and close up with a pair of pliers. Repeat for the other earring. Then, dress up your ears with their shiny new holiday gear!

Optional: Instead of using a jump ring, string wire through the hole and twist the two ends together. Thread both ends through a colorful bead. Loop the ends of the wire onto a French hook and you’ve made your own earrings.

TO MAKE A NECKLACE

Follow steps 1 and 2 for earrings. Then string a necklace through the jump ring. String it around your neck and you’ll be wearing a necklace that really shines.

Here’s a bright idea: Transform a whole strand of lights into great gifts for all of the lovely ladies this year. Making projects like this yourself will make it easy on your holiday budget and will help you show off your upcycling style.

Originally published on December 8, 2009.

12-Year-Old Boy Saves 4,000 Pairs of Shoes From the Landfill for Recycling

Lori Zimmer — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:00:32 +0000

Twelve year old “Eco” Erek Hansen is putting his best foot forward, and has gone on a one-boy mission to divert thousands of shoes from our landfills. The Ohio kid has been organizing shoe drives in his home town, collecting cast off sneaks and turning them over to clothing recycler USAgain. Rather than playing video games, the inspiring tween spends his free time reducing his carbon footprint.

Each year over 300 million pairs of shoes are thrown into United States landfills, an unnecessary waste in the eyes of Hansen. He and his mother drove the 4,000 pairs of shoes he collected all the way to West Chicago, to the USAgain clothing recycling facility, who gladly accepted the donation and slated it for recycling into other products. Along with recycling the shoes, the company also made a $1,000 donation on Hansen’s behalf to an environmental clean up non-profit.

Hansen’s collected shoes will either be reused by the underprivileged, or recycled. Unusable shoes can be transformed into running tracks, tennis courts or soft playground surfaces by grinding them up.

Aside from collecting old shoes, Hansen also recycles old jeans, creating a denim drive just as big as his shoe collecting. Even though his 8,000 shoe donation has been turned over to USAgain, he doesn’t plan to stop there. The Ohio kid plans to start the process over in his home town, and has even started a website so interested parties can donate their old shoes to Hansen’s cause.

+ EcoErek

[Via ABC News]

Saught Upcycles Cambodian Landmines Into Hauntingly Beautiful Jewelry

Morgana Matus — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:00:59 +0000

It is an incredible paradox of human nature that the same hands capable of creating weapons are also able to craft them into symbols of peace and healing. Jewelry company Saught works with Cambodian artisans to make earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets from scrap metal left by landmines. Partnering with Italian NGO Fileo Development Organisation, Saught trains workers in the art of fine jewelery-making as well as providing food and lodging for students and their families. The Singapore-based business offers three lines of socially inspired jewelry with their Freedom from War, Freedom from Poverty, and Freedom from Fear designs. Each purchase contributes money towards subsidizing the workshops, de-mining efforts, and expansion of the startup into other countries that have experienced conflict.

After the era of the Khmer Rouge, over 2.7 million tons of landmines were found in Cambodia. Currently, on 13% of the land has been cleared of these dangerous weapons, leaving over 646 sq km hazardous for travel and unsuitable for agriculture. Still one of the least-developed countries on the world, many of Cambodia’s workers earn only about $2 US dollars a day. In an effort to alleviate poverty and aid in the mission to make the country free of unexploded ordinances, Saught has teamed up with NGOs Fileo Development Organisation and Rajana Association. Together, they work to employ 23 students and lecturers from the Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Design. Supporting 27 employees, their 12 designs transform scrap metal from landmines in to gorgeous pieces of jewelry.

“The beautiful thing about fashion is that it reflects the sentiment and culture of the season that its in, and is a true representation of your identity and person. We see Saught as being part of a movement within the fashion industry to one where fashion cares about what matters – people and the planet. Working in Cambodia is tied to our vision and mission of creating social impact through our work, and of course, because we love the people in Cambodia and their incredibly warm hearts!” says founder, Pamela Yeo. “We are at the cusp of a shift of the pervasiveness of ethics and what is good into every facet of life – including fashion. What we hope is that our work would serve to encourage and spur on that it is possible to do good in and through your work!”

Saught encourages shoppers to become advocates of peace through one of their three lines of jewelry. Peace doves, flower petals, laurel branches, and bricks symbolizing strength and unity shine in gold. They hope that their mission helps to not only empower the people of Cambodia, but to help the beauty of peace shine through each item they sell.

+ Saught

[Via Springwise]

Turn a Pair of Printed Scarves Into a Breezy Caftan Dress (DIY Tutorial)

Shini Park and Kit Lee — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 22:00:24 +0000

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

Two medium-sized silk or satin scarves
Cotton thread in a coordinating color
Scissors
Sewing needle
Pins
Measuring tape
Body form (optional)

STEP ONE

Before you begin, steam or iron your scarves. This will prevent creasing or wrinkling while you’re working on them.

STEP TWO

With the right-side up, fold the first (front) scarf in half to locate the center. Insert a pin on the edge of the fabric to serve as a reference point.

STEP THREE

To add a notch on the shoulder, measure 11 inches from the outer edge, and pin it. Repeat both steps with the second (back) scarf.

STEP FOUR

Drape and pin the front scarf over the body form. (Tip: Use the pinned center and shoulder notches as reference points.)

STEP FIVE

Take the back piece of the scarf dress, join the back shoulder notch overlapping the front shoulder notch, pivot the back at an angle, and secure it with pins.

CONTINUE READING >

TerraCycle Upcycles Old U.S. Postal Service Bags Into Chic Accessories

Yuka Yoneda — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:00:48 +0000

TerraCycle has made a name for itself by turning landfill-bound objects into one-of-a-kind accessories, and its newest line of bags is no different. Stitched together from decommissioned U.S. Postal Service cotton-canvas mail sacks, each upcycled pouch and tote features markings from the original carryall, along with distressing, light fraying, and patch marks from years of service. Plus, all iPad cases are lined remnant Ultrasuede scraps—all the better to keep your precious cargo safe through rain, sleet, and gloom of night.

+ Upcycled Mail Tote $79; Upcycled Mail iPad Case $55; Upcycled Mail Pouch $14 at UncommonGoods
+ TerraCycle

Does Aki Goto’s $480 Paper-Bag Jacket Take Recycling Too Far?

Lori Zimmer — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 22:00:22 +0000

If you thought Jil Sander’s $290 lunch sack bordered on the ridiculous, just wait till you get a load of Aki Oto’s paper-bag blazer. Cobbled together from a bunch of used shopping bags, a vintage jacket, gobs of varnish, and a strip of duct tape (yes, duct tape), the battered and sodden-looking number conveys that fresh, just-rolled-out-of-a-dumpster look that every Rich Kid of Instagram craves. The price? $480—a bargain by billionaire hobo standards, we’re sure.

DERELICT CHIC

Ecouterre is a fan of recycling to be certain, but there’s precious little that’s redeeming about Goto’s design. The hem of the jacket looks like it went up against an industrial paper shredder and lost. The sleeves, with their exposed, overstitched seams, are haphazardly ripped just below the elbow. The hodgepodge quality of the paper brings to mind moldy, peeling tree bark, while its lacquered sheen conjures up images of greasy fast-food packaging. In short, it embodies the very stereotype of “eco-friendly fashion” we battle daily.

The silver lining? Goto’s creation—a size 8, if you must know—is strictly one of a kind.

One silver lining: Goto’s creation—a size 8, if you must know—is strictly one of a kind. Best snap yours up if you have more money than sense.

P.S. We have a bridge you might be interested in.

+ Paper Bag Jacket $480 at United Bamboo
+ Aki Goto

[Via Daily Mail]

Meet Gong Jia Qi, Winner of China’s 2012 EcoChic Design Award

Christina Dean, Redress HK — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:00:28 +0000

Ecouterre is the official media sponsor of the 2012 EcoChic Design Award.

China ushered a new era of sustainability late last month when it hosted the nation’s first mainstream eco-fashion design competition. Organized by Redress, a Hong Kong-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of the Asian fashion industry, the 2012 EcoChic Design Award China presented the textile-waste-reducing designs of 10 finalists to an audience of over 500 industry representatives. While all the designers showed great promise, the top prize went to Gong Jia Qi, a student at the Raffles Design Institute in Shanghai. Gong, who was inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, reconstructed five garments using unsold stock from Taobao, one of China’s leading online retailers. We checked in with Gong to talk about her experience, what sustainability means to her, and how she intends to parlay her win—with a little help from Esprit—into a full-fledged career.

FASHIONING THE FUTURE

What inspired you to enter China’s 2012 EcoChic Design Award?

My joining was really a matter of great timing. I had just started to get inspired by reconstruction and I was looking for ways to source and develop fashion-forward clothes using unwanted stock clothing. I learned that Redress was holding China’s first sustainable fashion design competition and I was inspired to join because I realized that the competition would help me to understand sustainable design much better.

I realized that the competition would help me to understand sustainable design much better.

What inspired your designs?

I bought a sweater with a bold star pattern on it—which would later turn out to be my iconic collection piece—from Taobao last winter. But after wearing it a few times, I cast it away because I found that too many people were wearing the same sweater on the street. But then I noticed a post on a popular online forum titled “Let’s talk about those styles which are going to or have already run rampant on Taobao.” This particular post covers styles that were once big fashion hits but soon suffered poor sales because people got tired of seeing them all over the place.

This alerted me to the phenomenon of such Internet transactions, where both sellers and buyers demonstrate a kind of bad decision-making of supply and demand, which ultimately results in a backlog of fashion garments and subsequent waste. So, I decided to use these types of mismatched online retail occurrences and reconstruct some of these overstocked but suddenly unwanted clothing.

[Sustainable fashion] allows design to become an effective solution to environmental social problems.

How important is sustainability to you?

I am very interested in sustainable fashion design because it combines fashion design with environmental and social development. It’s about more than the designer’s aesthetic expression or about meeting the needs of a typical group of customers and instead it allows design to become an effective solution to environmental social problems. Personally, it makes me feel that it’s not difficult or impossible to share environmental and social responsibilities as an individual.

What are your plans for the future?

Now, I’m designing a sustainable collection using innovatively recycled textiles for Esprit. I will then finish my studies. I sincerely hope to develop as a sustainable fashion designer.

+ 2012 EcoChic Design Award China
+ Redress

Levi’s, Case-Mate Join Will.i.am, Coca-Cola’s “Ekocycle” Recycling Initiative

Morgana Matus — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:00:45 +0000

Will.i. am and Coca-Cola’s “Ekocycle” initiative is about to get a lot more crowded. At a private-launch event on Wednesday night, the Black Eyed Peas musician and the beverage giant announced the addition of Levi Strauss, Case-Mate, MCM, and RVCA to their environmental campaign, which seeks to educate consumers about recycling and the role of purchasing decisions within a larger social context. The four brands will join Beats by Dr. Dre and New Era, which signed up when Ekocycle was first announced in July.

ENDS AND BEGINNINGS

Ekocycle, according to Bea Perez, vice president and sustainability officer at Coca-Cola, is on a mission to boost recycling’s cachet by imbuing recycled products with a hipper, youth-oriented image. More specifically, the campaign aims to identify products, including plastic bottles and aluminum cans, that its partners can repurpose as content for high-end lifestyle products.

The Ekocycle initiative wants to boost recycling’s cachet by imbuing recycled products with a hipper, youth-oriented image.

The Beats by Dr. Dre Eckocycle headphones ($349.95), for instance, comprise 31 percent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (or PET) plastic, the same stuff that soda bottles are made of. Two caps ($30-$45) from New Era promise a blend of traditional polyester fabric and recycled plastic. Case-Mate’s Ekocycle “Barely There” case ($35), now available at Best Buy, is molded from 100 percent recycled PET. And in April, Levi’s will unveil a limited-edition version of its “Waste ($128), each of which consists an average of eight recycled plastic bottles.

“Waste is only waste if we waste it,” Will.i.am says in a statement. “We need to value the things we consume and become a more sustainable society that is moving towards a world with zero waste.”

Other collaborations and products, ranging from everyday products to luxury wares, will be announced next year. Coca-Cola has also pledged a minimum of $1 million over the next five years in support of recycling and community-improvement organizations. This donation, the company says, is in addition to—and separate from—its ongoing commitment to give 1 percent of operating profits to charity through The Coca-Cola Foundation.

+ Press Release
+ Ekocycle

Sir Plus: Quality Menswear Upcycled in England From “Cabbage”

Jennifer Barckley — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:00:29 +0000

CABBAGES AND KINGS

Hales, who regularly dresses down to his knickers to promote his label, soon expanded his offerings to include formal and casual waistcoats, bow ties, fedoras, T-shirts, and even women’s underpants. Everything Sir Plus produces is manufactured locally in England. “I can be at the factory within an hours,” Hales tells us. “I know what the conditions are like and trust the quality.”

Everything Sir Plus produces is manufactured locally in the United Kingdom. “I can be at the factory within an hours,” Hales tells us.

Obviously, waistcoats and bow ties aren’t a look everyone can agree on, but rare is the man who couldn’t use a pair of well-made boxers. “Since a lot of my products are bought as presents, you wouldn’t believe how long I spend talking to ladies about their partner’s underwear!” Hales says.

Sir Plus may be small, but it’s a company with a mighty purpose. British households generate 1.5 to 2 million tons of textile waste a year, according to I&G Cohen, a Salford textile-recycling firm. Only a fraction of this is reclaimed; nearly 1.2 million tons end up in the landfill.

+ Sir Plus

Fantich and Young’s “Apex Predator” Shoes Are Made With Human Dentures

Mike Chino — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 21:00:18 +0000

Looking for a pair of shoes to complete your creepy Halloween costume? Fantich and Young just carved their way into our darkest nightmares with a pair of black balmorals soled with toothy treads made from hundreds of fake human teeth. We think its “Apex Predator” shoes are just about the creepiest things we’ve seen on two heels, but hey, if you’re into sporting denture couture, it’s unlikely anyone will try to “bite” your style.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

SHOES THAT BITE

Fantich and Young outfitted a pair of black Savile Row by Barker oxfords with 1,050 repurposed plastic dentures. Several gold caps add a touch of class to the ghastly shoes, which were designed as one-off art pieces or “totems.” “The idea for the shoes are based on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection and juxtaposing them with the supernatural elements of pagan rites and rituals,” the designers say.

Fantich and Young outfitted a pair of black Savile Row by Barker oxfords with 1,050 repurposed plastic dentures.

Those undeterred from wearing human anatomy will be happy to know that Fantich and Young created a matching suit from human hair and glass eyes. To each his own, but we reserve the right to back away slowly from you on the subway.

+ Apex Predator Shoes
+ Fantich and Young

[Via Artinfo]

Ecouterre » Reused / Recycled Eco-Fashion

Fashion “World Changer” Orsola De Castro Speaks Out On Textile Waste

Snoop Dogg, MTV Team Up With Jewelry for a Cause to Recycle Illegal Guns

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE: Fonderie 47 Recycles Confiscated AK-47 Rifles Into Luxurious Jewelry

Trash to Trend Debuts First Mass-Produced Upcycled-Clothing Collection

CRITICAL MASS

The collection requires 70 percent less water and 64 percent less energy than its conventional counterparts.

LEVELING UP

Aus’s model includes a “waste-mapping” database that provides a real-time overview of how much textile waste is being produced in a specific region.

Aussie Bride Creates Wedding Gown From 10,000 Recycled Bread-Bag Clips

Nudie Jeans Recycles Worn-Out Jeans Into Hand-Loomed Denim Rugs

European “Healthy Seas” Initiative to Turn Used Fishing Nets Into Socks

Liz Collins Uses Upcycled Knits to Explore “Void” in Fashion Consumption

Artist Upcycles Vintage Teeth, Prosthetic Eyes Into Macabre Accessories

Luis Teixeira Recycles Perfume Bottle Caps Into Interchangeable Rings

Louise Gray Goes “Derelict Chic” at Autumn 2013 London Fashion Week

SHABBY CHIC

Gray’s designs were equally exuberant, a madcap maelstrom of color, pattern, and texture.

Michigan Web Designer Turns Canadian Quarter into a Wedding Ring

SELF-MADE MAN

Crawford intends to create his own wedding band out of a British silver shilling to honor of his birthplace of Scotland.

U.K. Artist Upcycles Vintage Shoes, Cellphones Into Literal “Walkie Talkies”

GET SMARTPHONE

Britons purchase roughly 30 million new cellphones every year, according to O2.

“Two Guys” Craft Bow Ties From Reclaimed Wood, Fabric

SNAP ONE ONE

The ties come in basic, premium, and limited editions, depending on the wood used and the complexity of the design.

Tamara Kostianovsky Upcycles Clothing into Semi-Realistic Flesh, Bone

Australian Designer Turns Salvaged Paintings Into Sci-Fi-Inspired Jackets

SALVAGED CHIC

“Found materials have an inherent charm that can never be replicated,” Pezzano says.

Upcycle Broken Christmas Lights into Sparkly Holiday Accessories

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

TO MAKE EARRINGS

TO MAKE A NECKLACE

12-Year-Old Boy Saves 4,000 Pairs of Shoes From the Landfill for Recycling

Saught Upcycles Cambodian Landmines Into Hauntingly Beautiful Jewelry

Turn a Pair of Printed Scarves Into a Breezy Caftan Dress (DIY Tutorial)

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

STEP ONE

STEP TWO

STEP THREE

STEP FOUR

STEP FIVE

TerraCycle Upcycles Old U.S. Postal Service Bags Into Chic Accessories

+ Upcycled Mail Tote $79; Upcycled Mail iPad Case $55; Upcycled Mail Pouch $14 at UncommonGoods+ TerraCycle

Does Aki Goto’s $480 Paper-Bag Jacket Take Recycling Too Far?

DERELICT CHIC

The silver lining? Goto’s creation—a size 8, if you must know—is strictly one of a kind.

+ Paper Bag Jacket $480 at United Bamboo+ Aki Goto

Meet Gong Jia Qi, Winner of China’s 2012 EcoChic Design Award

FASHIONING THE FUTURE

What inspired you to enter China’s 2012 EcoChic Design Award?

I realized that the competition would help me to understand sustainable design much better.

What inspired your designs?

[Sustainable fashion] allows design to become an effective solution to environmental social problems.

How important is sustainability to you?

What are your plans for the future?

Levi’s, Case-Mate Join Will.i.am, Coca-Cola’s “Ekocycle” Recycling Initiative

ENDS AND BEGINNINGS

The Ekocycle initiative wants to boost recycling’s cachet by imbuing recycled products with a hipper, youth-oriented image.

Sir Plus: Quality Menswear Upcycled in England From “Cabbage”

CABBAGES AND KINGS

Everything Sir Plus produces is manufactured locally in the United Kingdom. “I can be at the factory within an hours,” Hales tells us.

Fantich and Young’s “Apex Predator” Shoes Are Made With Human Dentures

SHOES THAT BITE

Fantich and Young outfitted a pair of black Savile Row by Barker oxfords with 1,050 repurposed plastic dentures.

+ Upcycled Mail Tote $79; Upcycled Mail iPad Case $55; Upcycled Mail Pouch $14 at UncommonGoods
+ TerraCycle

+ Paper Bag Jacket $480 at United Bamboo
+ Aki Goto