Conscious Fashion:Recycled Fashion, Endless Possibilities

When I think of recycled fashion, I think of incorporating thrift pieces into outfits to give them a new life.  But there are other ways to interpret this phrase.

Designer Gary Harvey’s line debuted at The GreenShows, which is part of New York’s fashion week, in 2010.  His vision was to make people re-think recycled.  His line of ball gowns, funeral dresses, and even a wedding dress are all made from recycled jackets, scarves, dresses, or jersies that would be considered ‘out of fasion’.  Harvey definitely proved that these pieces still have life and a lot of potential for glamour!

Another creative way to interpret recycled fasion is to make a piece of clothing into something completely new.  In this case, it’s making old t-shirts into a cozy blanket or quilt.  It can be nostalgic, (I have a friend whose mom made her a high school t-shirt quilt when she graduated, out of all her old team shirts), or it can speak to your hobbies, (have a hefty collection of band shirts from the past five Warped Tours?  Make a rockin’quilt, like this one), or it can be just for fun.  For my t-shirt quilt, I used more than just t-shirts.  I incoorporated cotton skirts, the fronts of old jackets, and old cotton totes.  The best news: it doesn’t take an expert quilter to do this.  You just have to cut squares of roughly equal size from each piece (I suggest 12 in x 12 in) and then sew them together, in a random pattern.  Then sew the whole thing onto a large piece of whatever fabric you want for the backing.  I like the jersey material.  Try a jersey sheet, like this one from Target.

There is so much more to recycled fashion than incorporating thrift pieces into your wardrobe.  With recycled fashion, clothes can be re-incarnated and live a whole new life as something completely different.  It’s all up to the creative minds of fashionistas and fashionistos like you!