As I have mentioned in my blog post “6 Forms Of Sustainable Fashion”, there are many different forms of sustainable fashion.
In that post upcycling is not mentioned as one of the forms, however, it has been getting increasingly more attention over the last few years, and is often also seen as a form of sustainable fashion.
What is upcycling exactly? The definition of upcycling according to the oxford dictionary is “reuse discarded objects or materials in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original”.
So the question then is; why is it seen as a form of sustainable fashion?
Upcycling benefits the environment because it uses less water, and energy, and has less pollution than new clothing would need. Besides, it also reduces the number of clothes, fabrics, and materials in landfill.
Upcycling is usually done with deadstock, old fabrics, or clothes that cannot be recycled.
There are many creative ways in which designers have used upcycling in their brands. For example, Romanian designer Alexandra Şipa, who is currently based in London has used discarded electrical wires in her design for London Fashion Week ‘21.
In this blog post, we will discuss other brands and designers who use upcycling in their brands.
Bettter
Bettter is an up-cycle project founded by stylist and Vogue Ukraine international fashion director Julie Pelipas.
For Julia Suits are her signature look.
For Bettter, therefore, she decided to create upcycled suits, and every different style is named after a celebrity. Julie had this idea years ago but couldn’t justify bringing it to the world because we live in a consumer-oriented society with too much pollution.
Each suit is made from materials sourced from second-hand markets or deadstock from factories.
Want to know more about Bettter? Please visit their website
Re/Done
In 2014 Sean Barron and Jamie Mazur first launched their denim brand Re/Done. As of today, the brand has been worn by celebrities like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber.
The two designers launched the brand with the idea of taking old items and creating new pieces.
Interestingly, sustainability wasn’t included in the brand’s mission when Barron and Mazur first founded the brand. They were mainly focused on creating unique pieces from vintage Levi’s.
However, nowadays sustainability is at its core value and the brand is actively working on reducing its environmental impact.
Since its first launch, the brand has expanded its collection with clothes with shirts, denim jackets, and many more different items. While upcycling remains at the core of the business, Re/Done also started selling items that are not made from recycled materials. However, to keep it as sustainable as possible the items are made from recycled cotton.
Interested? take a look at their website for more information
Zero Waste Daniel
Zero Waste Daniel is an NYC-based fashion brand founded by Daniel Silverstein. Daniel uses pre-consumer waste from New York’s garment industry, as well as other hard-to-recycle materials in his pieces.
He creates the clothes with the intention of leaving no waste by using different pattern-making techniques that use all of the textile fabrics that are brought in their shops.
The brand uses recycled and recyclable materials in its shipping and is continuously working on eliminating waste wherever possible.
All clothes made by Zero Waste Daniel are gender-neutral. 
If you are interested in fun, colorful clothes then Zero Waste Daniel is definitely a brand you should visit.
Interested? Please click here
All pictures are taken from the internet and contain a link to the sites where I found them. All credits to the rightful owners.
