Category: Upcycling

As the quarter is winding down and I finish up my upcycling projects, I really feel like getting my hands dirty and doing some design work myself was an incredibly useful part of studying sustainability. I came into the quarter trying hard to create something that was drastically different while still cheap and hand-sewn. But, I found that to be a bit of a ridiculous request to make of myself and of the industry. I realized about halfway through that I had been approaching the idea of accessibility from the wrong angle. Yes, it’s true that currently the most radically sustainable garments on the market aren’t affordable to the average person, but there is still a lot of room for well-crafted, sustainable products that aren’t the price of a laptop computer but can still provide a living wage for the artist – and I believe upcycling is the key to it.

I struggled with feeling like I was spending so much time on small changes to garments that I really wanted to justify charging less than $100 for. But, what I failed to realize during that time was that small changes that increase a garments durability and individuality create something that a customer can wear for years and years. It’s true that most of the world cannot afford to pay $900 for a jacket just because it is made out of recycled materials however, it is also true that most of the world still pays hundreds of dollars a year in order to keep up with all 19 seasons of fashion while only wearing their new pieces a few times before they fall apart.

I believe that with only the slightest tweak in mindset, it is entirely accessible for the average citizen to have a few pieces that are one of a kind and durable but maybe 3 or 4 times the price in order to make it last for all 19 seasons, and ideally many more. The idea is to create pieces that are versatile, base pieces to be worn in both summer and winter (LINEN LINEN LINEN) and intricate outerwear that one will look forward to using to dress outfits up and to use as insolation during colder months.

After having the opportunity to work with these ideas hands on, even at a very small scale, I am realizing how possible it is to have a tailor/consumer relationship in the fashion world again. After reading that time and time again it has been proven that astronomically low prices cause overconsumption, I am much less convicted that the price really affects accessibility in as drastic a way as I originally believed. I think that changing the mindset of the fashion industry is not going to be an easy task, but with the rise of thrifting, small artists using natural dyes and materials, and small cottage industries popping up all over the country and gaining more and more attention, I believe that the process has already begun.

As of today, I have finished the alterations on the dress that I have been upcycling! Here are some before/after photos:

To create this ‘improved’ sundress, I added a lace up feature to the front of the dress by creating hand-sewn grommets and using my hand spun wool for strings. Overall, this alteration didn’t cost me anything other than about 50 cents for the thread, but it did take about six hours to fully complete. After that main portion of the alteration was complete, I simply added lace from an old top that I cut up and trimmed the neckline. I also wanted to add a bit more ‘figure’ to the piece, so I decided to add an adjustable tie to the back in order to make the wasteline a bit more flattering. To do this, I just used an old strap of leather that I had from a show and laced it through the trim that I attached.

Overall, this piece took me about nine hours of labor to complete. I’ve decided to focus less on keeping the cost of pieces low after reading a portion of Shaping Sustainable Fashion that stated that underselling the price of clothing encourages over-consumption, which is a concept that I actually really do agree with. So, I have kind of recalibrated my ‘purpose’ of exploring the art of upcycling to simply be to elevate a piece of clothing that has been mass produced only to be worn a few times before ending up in landfill to an entirely unique, one of a kind, garment that will last seasons upon seasons of wear.

 

 

Yesterday I finished the most important alteration of the dress that I am upcycling – the lace-up front detailing. To do this, I simply removed the buttons from the dress, folded them over and hemmed. I then poked holes down the new hems and hand sewed grommets to give them a clean edge that also does not stick out. I used the same hand spun wool that I used on the silk vest to lace up the dress.

Stylistically, I am a bit obsessed with lace up detailing. I think it’s such an elegant way to elevate a simple garment. When examining historic undergarments I’ve always been awestruck with the detail that it takes to created threaded grommets rather than simple jamming the metal ones in. So, naturally, I had to try to create my own replica of what I have been inspired by. Mine definitely don’t have the level of craftsmanship that the garments I’ve seen do, but I think that subtle detail does create a look that is clearly unique and not machine-made. I didn’t have to cut the fabric at all for this part of the design, so it definitely has very minimal waste.

Next, I really just have to add a bit of lace and ribbon here and there and alter the skirt to complete the look. I’m anticipating that it won’t take me until the end of the quarter to finish this piece, so I may end up taking on another project before week 10 is up. Alternatively, I may dedicate the rest of the quarter to doing research on upcycling businesses and how they generate profit while maintaining accountability. We’ll see where the inspiration takes me!

For the second part of my upcycling project, I am continuing with the Edwardian fashion inspiration. I found a used cotton sundress for $8 and will be altering to look stylistically similar to a cotton slip dress from the late Victorian – early Edwardian eras. The attention to detail in those historical garments is alway absolutely astounding to me, so I am hoping to be able to channel that a little bit.

The original dress already has the shaping of a slip so it ought to be pretty simple to make a few changes that make the piece stand out from other products of the fast fashion world.

Original piece:

I actually think the dress as it is is very lovely. But, it is pretty simplistic in the way that you could find a ‘boho sun dress’ in this style pretty much anywhere. My intention in upcycling it is to use the small alterations to create something much more unique and difficult to find in the fast fashion world.

A few images of historical garments that I am hoping to draw some inspiration from:

I’ve noticed that oftentimes, the petticoat or chemise is used in Edwardian and Victorian fashion to accent outer garments. I plan to use that same basic principal when designing this upcycled piece. Because of this, I am going to focus on making the biggest changes around the neckline and bottom of the skirt.

I think that I will need to shorten the skirt in order to make the entire outfit low together more smoothly. So, I am going to style that alteration after the basic layout of most Edwardian petticoats. That being to have the skirt fall strait, and then attach a separate tiered layer at the very bottom. This piece will essentially be a modernized, shorter version of that.

 

Last week I officially finished my first upcycled piece: the silk tweed vest!

The final product looked like this:

Overall, the total cost of the materials used to create this was $6.50 and it took me 13 hours including the hand-spun and sewn embroidery and 6.5 hours without. I did not use a sewing machine for this project because I wanted to have total control over what I was doing given the fact that it is a piece intended for learning rather than efficiency. However, if I were to recreate this design with the intent of selling, I estimate that it would take me 2.5 hours without the embroidery and 5 with the embroidery after having more practice with the skill.

I’m currently inspired by the idea of continuing to make my designs echo that of Edwardian women’s clothes. I have a collection of Edwardian clothing at home since they are the last of fashion to be truly handmade and “slow” in the way that the fashion world describes it now. Because of that, it seems fitting to honor that nearly lost craft by reclaiming mass-produced pieces and turning them into garments as unique as those from the past. While photographing, I played around with styling the piece into an outfit featuring an Edwardian blouse and linen skirt that I discovered at an antique mall in Pennsylvania, and I love the feel that they give my own original piece. I plan to take better quality pictures once I can get my hands on a tripod, but here are some basic concept photos:

 

Part of my reasoning behind creating this piece was to get an idea of how possible it is to create a quality piece of clothing at a relatively affordable price while still allowing for a living wage to be paid. Currently, in Thurston County, the living wage is calculated to be at $11.84 for one adult. If an artist were to create a similar piece with the intent of selling without the embroidery in the design and used a sewing machine, they could sell the piece for $40 and take in a wage of $13.40/hr. For “luxury markets” with the embroidery included, they could charge $75 and receive a wage of $13.90/hr.

I did some research into the pricing of decorative vests from 4 different clothing companies that represent different socioeconomic classes: Forever 21 (low income), Urban Outfitters (middle class), Free People (upper middle class), and Magnolia Pearl (upper class). The prices on their products are as follows:

Interestingly enough, the price of my design was closest to the price of the company frequented by customers with lower incomes, but the quality and design itself was more like the company frequented by higher incomes. To me, this hints that the consumer has been trained by the both fast fashion and the luxury market to automatically assume a high quality and unique “different-from-the-norm” piece is reserved for people who can afford to spend $250 on a vest. This could pose a problem when it comes to outreach for designers wishing to reach all income levels with their pieces. However, I believe if there were ever a time to communicate to people that they do not need to have endless disposable income in order to express themselves with one of a kind pieces, it would be now. The current attitude towards self-expression, sustainability, and re-using materials is at an all time high. So, I think that the market is primed for making a business like this a feasible feat.

 

After this week, my first and most detailed upcycled piece has finally begun to take its final form. I took a break from working on the detailed embroidery and decided to spend the week working towards finalizing the design and shape of the garment as a whole. To do this, I focused on the buttons and neckline.

The buttons that were originally attached to the vest were plain, round plastic. In my opinion, the plastic clashed with the natural raw silk material of the vest, so I knew that, as much as I want to keep as much of the original materials on the garment as possible, they needed to be changed. A personal favorite button style of mine is the antique wooden toggle look. Aged wooden toggles are unique enough to be noticeable, but also quite easy to source secondhand. After only a little bit of looking, I found a set of 6 wooden toggles on ebay for $3 including shipping, so I jumped on them. The buttons were easy enough to replace, and the corset synching makes the fabric tug on the toggles just enough to make them stand out. The weathering on the wood also gives them some brown tones that compliment the fabric perfectly.

I purposefully only attached three of the five buttons that were originally on the vest because I knew that I was planning to drop the neckline quite a bit. I originally intended to cut the extra fabric off, but as I was folding it back, I realized that I could train the edges to create an elegant edging that I would just have to sew down. I’m really thrilled that I have been able to use all of the fabric that I’ve changed around so far, and think the shape has come out to be much more flattering than the original piece was .

After I finish the embroidery and the neckline, I think I will be satisfied with the finished piece. I was intending to attach lace to the bottom of the vest, but now that I have a better idea of what the final piece will look like, I think the lace could potentially detract from the character of the different textures that are already present.

This piece is taking on the inspiration of an Edwardian walking suit with the tweed and sharp angles, so I think I am going to run with that inspiration as I continue to consider designs for my next pieces. I am still weighing my options about whether I’d like to complete the ‘look’ with a dress or a tunic and pants that I convert to bloomer-esque trousers, so that is going to be something that I continue to mull over in my design process next week – at the end of the day, I think it is going to come down to what I can find affordably and secondhand.

For this week’s portion of upcycling, I got very inspired by the level of detail I saw in different designers’ styles while reading ‘Upfashioned’. I wanted to play on the idea of using trash to create more than a garment, but a piece of art, so I began experimenting with embroidering my hand-spun wool and adding embellishments that give it that extra touch to bring it up to that level. In all honesty, it was a bit of a diversion from my original purpose of exploring how to create beautiful items that have little environmental footprint and are accessible to all socioeconomic backgrounds. The amount of time that the hand-spinning and hand embroidering takes is certainly what elevates the garment from a garment to a ‘luxury item,’ but I think having a business model that is capable of providing both is definitely something to consider.

I used the wool that I spun in class at Arbutus Folk School last quarter, it still holds to the ‘upcycling’ mission as it is a blend I created of all of the excess wool from other students. I also decided that I’d like to add pearls to the garment since I believe slight detailing like that will bring out the intricacy of the back and creates a just slightly more formal look. I found a fake pearl necklace at the thrift store for 50 cents and dismantled it to use the beads.

I’m finding that I do have a little bit of extra textile and extra detailing material, but I am planning to use every bit of material that I gather over the next 10 weeks, so I have already begun designing small coin purses and jewelry to make out of the extra bits. As I’ve read more as well as gained hands on experience in mass produced clothing design and how it contrasts to small designers, I’m finding that there is an opportunity for much less waste to occur on a small scale.

The first alteration that I have set about completing for my silk vest design is the corseted back that I mentioned in my previous post. I decided that for the back of the vest I also want to do a bit of embroidery detailing, so before I began the alterations I referenced the fashion drawing book that I got from the library to get my ideas out on paper. My plan is to use the wool that I spun last quarter as the yarn that I’ll embroider with. If I can source some used pearl beads I’d like to incorporate them into the design as well since I believe it will make for a nice contrast.

In order to complete the corseted back, I cut the collar off of the vest and turned the extra fabric into makeshift ‘grommets’ (though not quite). The back seams on the piece fit the corseting perfectly…it really looks like it was meant to be! Unfortunately, my sewing machine is back home in Virginia so I’ve had to hand sew all of the pieces so far. Because of this, it’s taking me a quite a lot longer than it would if I had the help of machinery, but I also am enjoying the control that hand sewing gives me since I am kind of making this up as I go – also, the less seam ripping I have to do, the less likely I am to get very frustrated with the entire process.

Now that I’ve finished that portion of the back, I am looking forward to getting started on the embroidered detailing. After I finish that portion, I am going to start looking for other pieces to add to the final ‘look’ so I can plan the rest of the design to be cohesive with the rest of the outfit.

For my first upcyled project, I am going to be altering a raw silk herringbone vest that I found at a thrift store for $6. The original design is a bit boring and hard to style, but the textile is so beautiful that I am really excited about making something unique out of this piece.

Here is the piece in its original form:

When I saw the vest I immediately fell in love with the rough texture of the silk. It’s pretty hard nowadays to find something that is 100% silk, especially silk that has not been treated to create the smooth look that creates the shiny silk most of us know. Not only that, but the understated herringbone pattern gives the piece even more personality and texture. I think that the fastenings and design of the vest don’t totally do the textile justice, so I am hoping to alter it in a way that is still simple, but reflects the natural beauty of the fabric.

For this independent study, I have been reading Zero Waste Fashion Design by Timo Rissanen and Holly McQuillan as well as Refashioned by Sass Brown. Both books emphasize the importance of drafting patterns that utilize as much of the readily available textile as possible. Because of this, I am hoping to rearrange the fabric through alterations while getting rid of as little as possible. To do this, I plan to remove the collar from the vest and bring the neckline down a bit lower. With the fabric I take off of the collar, I am going to create a corseted back to give the piece more character and to create a look that is both adjustable and form fitting (allowing it to be accessible to more sizes). My particular design taste definitely falls along the “rustic elegance” category, and I’m hoping to stay true to this with this piece. I believe that vests (and outer-layers in general) have the potential to be both the most pointless piece in a look, and also the most important piece depending on the way in which they are designed so I hope to make this vest the centerpiece to the rest of the design work that I do this quarter. As I continue to accumulate different pieces to upcycle, I hope to implement scraps from each in all so that they can come together into a cohesive ‘outfit.’