In With The Old, Out With The New: Global Brands Are Now Embracing The Trend Of Upcycling

The idea of using old materials to design new pieces has probably been one of the most revolutionary changes brought to the fashion industry this year.

Where initially only independent designers were making shift by using pre-existing textile and deadstock to create collections, today top International brands like Miu Miu and Balenciaga have unveiled collections using existing materials.

Early this October, Miu Miu announced the release of a capsule collection inspired by antique pieces and vintage stores across the world featuring 80 one-off dresses all of which were all upcycled.

Designer Gabriela Heart shares how with top luxury brands in the market embracing the idea of upcycling has brought a huge significant shift in how we see the fashion industry today.

“It was like using a bad word. You don’t say the word in the luxury vocabulary.” she says.

With the unprecedented pandemic that affected businesses, it also brought a huge change to the fashion world. Brands and designers started looking at existing materials that they already had in the studio.

By putting these leftover materials to use, many designers created capsule collections and new designs, thereby revolutionizing the fashion industry by promoting the idea of upscaling.

Where in the past, luxury brands were known to burn or throw away unsold goods in order to preserve their value, this unethical practice has today been replaced with a more mindful method.

An increasing number of customers stood against this highly unsustainable practice forcing brands to use their materials more efficiently.

Designer Duran Lantik who is known for reassembling deadstock materials from global brands like Prada and Gucci into brand new high-end pieces, has received an immense number of enquiries for collaborations by major retailers.

Despite the benefits, upcycling can be an intimidating and risky idea for designers in terms of having to invest in a huge amount of materials to create multiple collections.

But the process is also exciting because it allows designers to be more creative by moving on to different leftover materials to experiment with.

For this idea of upcycling to continue to remain sustainable, major retailers need to get on board and rethink their decision to buy a bulk of clothes at once.   

With an increasing number of brands embracing upcycling, it is soon to practically become the new normal in the fashion world.