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.

Read the rest of 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

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

Read the rest of Trash to Trend Debuts First Mass-Produced Upcycled-Clothing Collection

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.

Read the rest of Aussie Bride Creates Wedding Gown From 10,000 Recycled Bread-Bag Clips

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.

Read the rest of Liz Collins Uses Upcycled Knits to Explore “Void” in Fashion Consumption

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.

Read the rest of Artist Upcycles Vintage Teeth, Prosthetic Eyes Into Macabre Accessories

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

Read the rest of Louise Gray Goes “Derelict Chic” at Autumn 2013 London Fashion Week

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.

Read the rest of U.K. Artist Upcycles Vintage Shoes, Cellphones Into Literal “Walkie Talkies”

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

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

Read the rest of “Two Guys” Craft Bow Ties From Reclaimed Wood, Fabric

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

Read the rest of Australian Designer Turns Salvaged Paintings Into Sci-Fi-Inspired Jackets

Upcycle Broken Christmas Lights into Sparkly Holiday Accessories

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

Read the rest of Upcycle Broken Christmas Lights into Sparkly Holiday Accessories

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.

Read the rest of Saught Upcycles Cambodian Landmines Into Hauntingly Beautiful Jewelry

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Read the rest of Sir Plus: Quality Menswear Upcycled in England From “Cabbage”

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.

Read the rest of Fantich and Young’s “Apex Predator” Shoes Are Made With Human Dentures