RECESSIONISTA – THE [PEDAL] POWER OF UP-CYLCING
There’s a fashion trend which lies somewhere between vintage and shopping your own wardrobe, a trend which marries the two and gives birth to truly unique fashion. The trend is called up-cycling and, like recycling it encourages the transformation of materials into something newer. It’s a phrase that was only coined back in 2002, in the book Cradle to Cradle by German chemist Michael Braungart and US architect William McDonough, but already it has seeped into the global vernacular, particularly among those who are not only fashion savvy but ecologically conscious too.
Up-cycling is essentially a reinvestment in the environment… and your own wardrobe. It’s taking old fabrics or old clothes and giving them a new lease on life. It differs from vintage by actually taking vintage clothes and doing what some might consider to be sacrilegious – totally reconstructing the garment into something new. And it differs from shopping your wardrobe by taking the absolutely hideous pieces – the ones squirreled away at the back that you keep because you secretly love the hideous – and putting them out of their misery by not just making an alteration or two but giving them the fashion equivalent of a tummy tuck come face-lift.
‘The premise of up-cycling is pretty basic: you create something new out of something old,’ explained Alyssa Over, co-owner of thoroughly chic Beaufort Street boutique Libertine. ‘And it can be anything, not just fashion objects. We’re talking furniture, computers… even houses! Quite a few of our designers – like mandi mac vintage, Chaka, Miyoko, Peas, corn, & tomato sauce – they all up-cycle by using only vintage fabrics or reworking older garments or jewellery into something new.’
Up-cycling came to the fore as a fashion trend in WA back in 2006, Over stressed. It was the same year that the environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth was released. The documentary dealt primarily with global warming and the impending crisis. As a result, in an attempt to reduce carbon footprints and minimize impacts on the environment, the more savvy shoppers and fashionistas have turned to more alternative and eco forms of staying ahead of the fashion fold while keeping green. One such strategy, Over pointed out, is up-cycling.
‘In the last few years as it has been becoming more acceptable to wear and boast your latest vintage/retro/op-shop buy,’ Over added. ‘Fashion designers have really been able to really let their imaginations run away with them and make stunning garments out vintage fabrics and finds that they have been hoarding, now knowing that they will be fully appreciated by the wearer. The even more appealing aspect for the buyer is the limited edition factor: these fabrics are not going to be made again so the chances are that the piece you buy is going to be the only one in existence.’
For Amanda McKenna – the driving force behind renowned up-cycling fashion label mandi mac vintage – the appeal of up-cycling became apparent when she studied fashion history and realized that up-cycling was a trend that had essentially been in play for most of the 20th Century. ‘It really is quite an old fashioned notion,’ McKenna added. ‘Men used to get collars replaced on their jackets and shirts to update them, before ready to wear clothing became popular. During World War II, women’s magazines published patterns on how to re-work your husband’s suit into an outfit for you. Then there was Barbara Cartland’s mission during the war to ensure every war bride had a wedding gown. She commandeered parachute silk to have dresses made up.
All this fantastic history inspired me to work within a certain set of rules. The primary one being “use what you haveâ€. I see a very bright future for up-cycling, particularly as there has been such a huge backlash to mass produced goods. And as a designer it’s really stretching my creativity by re-creating a garment, pants into jackets, and visa versa. The techniques I use tend to be more free form pattern cutting and sewing, which turns it into quite an organic process which is quite freeing.’
But of course, it’s not just the environmental impact of what we buy that concerns us these days – it’s also the price of such goods. More and more customers and consumers are looking for ways to save money while still buying high quality goods. Up-cycling provides both.
The fabrics are quite often cheaper or designers have had them for years, so it means little or no outlay on new fabrics which means you get a designer one off garment for around the same price as buying a mass produced high end garment,’ Over explained. ‘As the fabrics are already made and were usually made 25-50 years ago it means no further environmental impact from fabric production. The other factor is that because the piece is a one off it is more likely to be kept and cherished and worn for years not just discarded after one use like so many fashion trends of late.’
‘I think up-cycling is here to stay,’ added McKenna. ‘Designers are creating collectors’ pieces, and customers are now more than ever looking for more individualized pieces. Part of the movement is a focus on locally made pieces, and this in turn, helps reduce our carbon foot print, as opposed to using fabric manufactured in Vietnam, shipped to China to make garments then shipped to Australia to be worn for one season then thrown away. There is nothing disposable about up-cycling: it’s about creating and communicating meaning from an object that others found useless.’
It’s a new millennial practicality that even you can learn about. Amanda McKenna will be holding classes in up-cycling at the WA Institute of Fashion in Bentley during March. If you’re interested in attending please email Mckenna on mandimac@westnet.com.au, but hurry – places are limited.
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
AMANDA McKENNA’S TOP THREE UP-CYLCING TIPS
