She’s All About Upcycling

 So the floor was dirty but I’ll let it pass because these jeans are so fun!  They’re fun to look at, and man were they fun to make! I recycled these old jeans, adding patches of cut up old denim jeans, some of which I bleached. I also printed on them and painted with blue fabric paint over the top! I’ll say it again, reduce, reuse, UPCYCLE!

  Nudie Jeans. They’re expensive, there’s no denying it, but their philosophies are moving toward the future of fashion.  Nudie as a brand are deeply concerned with sustainability, and have implemented a number of practises that promote sustainable and recycled fashion.  The first reason to consider Nudie for your next pair of jeans: They give their customers the option for free repairs on their jeans, lengthening the life of their clothing. They also have a buy back scheme that allows you to sell your jeans back to Nudie, who in turn give you a discount on a new pair of jeans. Yes you heard that right, give them your worn out, old jeans and your new pair is cheaper! Nudie Jeans also collaborated with the Australian wool company Waverley Mills in 2020. Nudie donated a collection of second hand jeans they weren’t able to resell and Waverley recycled these jeans into blankets. Waverley took the jeans, ragged the denim into a pulp and combined it with their wool through a carding process.

Fast fashion is out. Recycled is in.  Not only does recycling clothing save you money, it’s environmentally ideal. There’s nothing worse than loving a piece of clothing and wearing it out, so why throw it away? Repurpose it - reduce, reuse, recycle as they say. There’s a few companies out there promoting recycled fashion, but it’s still in its early days. Why not contribute to it from home? A little creativity and some time, and you’ll have a one of a kind piece of wearable art. What more do I need to say? 

I previously painted flames on this pair of jeans and my cousin fell in love with them, so with her direction I customised them even further… here’s the process. 

  What do you do with a plethora of upcycled clothes? Photoshoot!  So many items to talk about in these images… There’s the two dresses; dyed, painted, printed, tailored to fit myself correctly. You have the jeans; bleached, printed and patchworked. Then there’s the fun printed canvas corsets (made of recycled unstretched canvas I had at home). I also hand made some tote bags and dyed and printed on them, made of the same canvas.  To answer your burning question, yes they are all me. Photoshop was our friend here. 

This was such a fun project! I had an old hoodie I was, to say the least, bored of, so this is what I did with it! We have an old washing machine at home and after the second bleach, it ripped the jumper up. I was initially disappointed but decided to make the most of it with the black denim detailing.  The jumper has since been worn, to death, the bleach compromised the structural integrity of the jumper and it is now ripped to pieces. I’m excited to recycle the upcycle into something even more exciting and new! 

Hi there! My name’s Francesca and I’m alllll about sustainable clothing options! The main way I do this is through the upcycling of old clothes of mine. I love reworking clothing I own, whether that’s a pair of jeans I’ve worn out or an ill fitting jumper. The ability to rework an old piece of clothing is not only a cost effective alternative, it’s wearable art! I can guarantee you’ll feel confident and proud wearing something you made and there’s nothing better than being asked “Where’d you buy that?” And answering “Oh this… I made it!”