Is upcycling our way to a sustainable fashion industry?
Isaac Dale (he/him) in collaboration with Spiraro & Not Sew New
What is upcycling fashion? Upcycled fashion, takes used clothes and fabric that would’ve been disposed of and revitalises them in a way that focuses on design and innovation. When clothing is given a new look, to adapt to the trends of the current time, or becomes a product of one's imagination, it saves the original garment from waste.
Australia has a waste problem. We are facing a textile waste crisis with Australians purchasing 27 kg of new textiles each year, of which 23 kg is discarded into landfill, making Australia the second largest fashion polluter next to the US. First, we need to define exactly what waste is. The term ‘waste’ can be defined as many things. But simply ‘waste’ refers to “discarded, expelled, or excess matter”. ‘Waste’ can denote a loss of value in material, practical, or symbolic terms; things can deteriorate, become useless, or lose significance. Waste-making is inevitable in the current fashion industry. Stylistic changes and the desire for newness keeps the fashion system in motion, with the aesthetic devaluing of garments occurring as they are replaced by new trends and styles, particularly so in the era of fast fashion.
Although not all clothes go to waste, as the organised recovery of post-consumer textile waste is predominantly undertaken by charities in Australia. This waste is, by means of community donations, deposited into charity bins, as well as drop-offs directly to Op-Shops. Once collected, the textiles are sorted and sent to those in need in the community, or sold through shops to generate capital to fund solutions to social problems. Although 12.5 million kilograms of these textiles being sought through are unsuitable and are then sent to landfill, rotting the environment. This is what highlights the importance of upcycling. Not only savouring donated textiles, but textiles that have been deemed as “useless” are recontextualised into an item that is upcycled and celebrated of its past life. This is the first step in savouring our environment.
Trends come and go. Fashion is always changing, and personal interests and Identities are always evolving. Although these scary facts loom around the fashion community, there is a spark of hope. Here are the heroes out of Naarm/Melbourne, doing their part to create breathtaking garments with a sustainable twist.
Spiraro, starting in early 2021 is an experimental fashion project using recycled fabrics and several types of eccentric production techniques inspired by the natural world and its presence in an urban landscape, based out of Naarm. Since Demure last sat down with Indy and their renowned label, Spiraro has grown and blossomed into a wardrobe staple in Naarm’s fashion scene. We got to sit down with Indy once again and get their POV on how Spiraro is working to differentiate themselves, while remaining sustainable.
So it's been a while since Demure and Spiraro have caught up, and your brand has become one of the most influential brands in Naarm, what has this meant to you?
I think I have a long way to go to say I’m one of the most influential brands in Naarm, but that means a lot, thank you. I’m excited for more sustainable & organic growth in the future.
So I want to talk to you about your most recent shoot in the bush, can you walk me through the idea for that, and the message behind it?
The bush is mother earth's studio… no need for artificial lighting when you have dappled afternoon sunlight reflecting off the Yarra.
My creative ideas also translate best in nature, as this is where the majority of my inspiration comes from.
On your website, you have a care page, on how to make each garment last forever, its so very clear to me and all the followers of your brand that you value sustainability over profits. It's pretty awesome that you think that way, why is it that you value sustainability so much?
Making a garment of quality is so important to me & knowing how to care for it is just as important. Spending time caring for your clothes, mending them and in turn giving them a longer life, are necessary steps we all need to take to combat this consumerist single use world we live in.
The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world, so I went into this business with my core value being sustainability. I like to think I’m helping the planet rather than participating in the climate crisis.
From my understanding you were one of the first businesses here in Naarm, to start upcycling, what was your inspiration for this inventive idea?
I’ve been experimenting with my wardrobe since I was a teenager, but when bleach came into the picture, I was hooked on the fluid patterns that formed when mixed with water & a cotton garment . From there my love of textiles flourished, teaching myself rust dyeing, screen printing, airbrushing & sewing - all techniques that allow me to bring old garments to life.
When it comes to ethically and sustainably sourcing clothes, what does that look like?
This looks like stopping at every small town op shop on the way home from a camping trip last week, sourcing from markets every weekend and scouring my friends op shop bags in the back of their car. There’s definitely more time in sourcing sustainably but for no impact on the environment it’s worth it 10000%
Is there anything you look for specifically, or is it anything that just catches your eye?
Choosing good fitting pieces, like a boxy, strong collared t-shirt or baggy jeans is essential for Spiraro. All my garments are of quality as I want them to last a lifetime & longer. Choosing 100% natural fibres like cotton or linen makes for no toxicity transferred from garment to the skin and also allows most of the textile manipulation techniques to stay put in the fibres. For obvious reasons I don’t go for man made fibres like polyester, as it’s a kind of plastic made from petroleum. When worn, the chemicals absorb through your skin. :-/
Now the designs themselves, they are very intriguing, where do you find your inspirations for the patterns?
My inspiration comes from intricate patterns in everyday surroundings. Bit n bobs. Rock patterns, rusty spirals, typography from street signs, bumpy cracked pavements, moss, lichen, mould, wrought iron fences, symmetrical symbols, old cars, shadows, reflections, qr codes to name some random recent inspirations. Experimenting is also a big inspiration for me. Regularly, the patterns that arise on the opposite side of the fabric that I’m manipulating are far more abstract and eye-catching than the original side.
It can be a lot cheaper and faster to buy clothes in bulk that are made in factories, is that temptation ever there? Or is your mission goal always in your mind at each step in production?
Sourcing items first hand has never been a temptation of mine as my main value is to be a sustainable brand, saving clothes from landfill, inspiring people to fight the climate crisis. Using sustainable materials and having a sustainable production process is a value that Spiraro will always have.
Are you trying to find new ways to differentiate your brand in sustainable aspects, if so what can us fans look forward to in the future?
I’m just going to continue learning and developing my knowledge of textiles through sustainable practices, wherever that may take me!
In the future I’m hoping to facilitate some classes in sustainable fashion, which I’m really looking forward to.
What is your end goal and how do you want the fashion industry to eventually evolve and look like?
My end goal is to teach as many people I can about the importance of being a conscious consumer.
Stirring the waters and quickly gaining popularity is the “incoherent recycling service” Not Sew New. We got to sit down with Ava, The genius behind the brand and break down what exactly Not Sew New is and how they are playing their part in creating sustainable garments.
Can you give me a rundown on what exactly Not Sew New is?
Not Sew New is a fashion upcycling project/fashion brand. The aim of the game is to create garments and accessories out of pre-existing materials and clothing to make new. The most important part of creating Not Sew New was to give people another option/brand to shop upcycled. The name is representative of the fact that the majority of our materials are second-hand other than some labels & bag hardware pieces.
How would you define Upcycling Clothing?
Upcycling clothing means manipulating clothing using certain techniques to create a new appearance. It can mean anything from adding a print or completely dismantling a garment and putting it back together in a new way.
Did you always have an interest in fashion or have that goal of starting your own label?
I have always had a strong interest in fashion and have spent a lot of time learning how to express myself through the way that I dress. There has always been a part of me interested in starting my own brand but it was tricky to comprehend how to create a label that has little to no impact on our environment. I had been contemplating starting a sustainable label for a couple of years and decided to finally bite the bullet when I realised how little was available in terms of upcycled/recycled clothing. I think a part of me always knew this would be the path I’d take.
Can you talk me through how your brand came about?
I had this idea in my head for over 6 months before I decided to make my first bag. It was one of those genius ideas I had in my head one night when I couldn’t sleep. I made the first prototype around July this year just for personal use. I never planned on doing much with it until I received so much encouragement from my friends and was given the opportunity to sell them at a pop up later in the year. Alas I named it the ProtoTie bag because it has been the complete prototype for starting my business and obviously it’s made out of Ties.
Obviously, it’s hard starting your own business considering all the funding and time you have to put into it. How do you find ways to motivate yourself to keep pushing and not just call it quits?
It took me a long time to be comfortable with the thought of running my own business and all the financial irregularities that come with it. The main motivation for me now is to have a place to constantly practise creativity and share the message of sustainability with the world. I think always having a goal to work towards helps me a lot to keep going and knowing that each investment you make whether it's time or money will pay off if you just keep moving forward.
How big of an influence do you think this culture of fashion in Melbourne/Naarm had an impact on you and your brand?
When I first moved to Naarm a couple of years ago (I’m from Sydney Originally) I was honestly shocked at how present trend culture was. If anything, I was quite turned off by the industry observing how many bandwagons were being jumped on. After some time I managed to find the people on the same wavelength as me and hope was restored on my outlook of the industry. I think coming from interstate I was able to have a look into the fashion culture in Naarm with a fresh perspective and got to decide what I determined to be the good/bad aspects. So I'd say the culture here had a huge impact in pushing me towards an upcycled brand rather than a business which creates brand new garments.
What is sustainability to you and how are you incorporating ways to involve it in your designs?-specifically the 3000 Litre shirt
Sustainability is when your practices have the smallest possible impact on the environment long term. I’d like to note this is obviously different for everyone and am aware of my privilege to have the opportunity to start up my own responsible business. I think it’s important to incorporate the message of Not Sew New into my designs especially with the ‘Think Twice Tee’ which states that a brand-new t-shirt usually requires about 3000L of water to make. I’m keen to keep melding my message amongst my pieces whether it be this obvious or more subtle.
At what stage of your designs do you think the environmental impact comes into place or is that thought always looming?
With any type of garment construction/upcycling there are always certain materials that you can’t avoid using. For example, oil for my sewing machine, bleach for stencil printing or screen-printing ink. I am aware all these items have an impact on the environment when being mass produced or disposed of. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to avoid an impact completely. It does help to know that for most cases I am helping to prevent items from going to landfill and repurposing them for new life.
When it comes to ethically and sustainably sourcing clothes, what does that look like?
It looks like early markets every weekend and multiple op shops every week. I think travelling outside of Naarm I’ve had the most success. Constantly checking facebook marketplace and ebay for people getting rid of their things. I try to see what kinds of items are most accessible and think about what I could make from them. I’d also like to note the amount of extra work that goes into not being able to source all your stock from one place and its availability being consistently inconsistent.
Do you think it's ever possible for the fashion industry to be completely sustainable, or is that an impossible challenge?
It’s hard to say in my lifetime that I can see this industry becoming completely sustainable considering the amount of clothing waste that already exists on the planet. I think from where I’m standing I have the privilege and ability to try and make a difference even if it’s just a small one. The best thing I can do to fight fast fashion is give people a platform to also support this movement by shopping with an upcycled business. The main issue of our generation is trend culture and the ability for trends to travel around the globe overnight. So many people engage in purchasing cheap knock off items only to be used for a short time. I think if I can try to send a message through Not Sew New it will be to encourage individual expression and for people to be comfortable wearing whatever the fuck they like.
Are you trying to find new ways to differentiate your brand in sustainable aspects, if so what can us fans look forward to in the future?
I’m starting a project next year with other upcycled designers. I think it’s important for us all to work together to promote our side of the industry and why we do what we do. I think it’s exciting to exist at a time where we can create avenues for change through our craft. It’s really inspiring to be among the movement towards creating more sustainable options for people to choose from.
While we know waste in fashion is both a material problem and a cultural condition, there is hope. The brands like Spiraro and Not Sew New, as well as a range of others across Naarm and Australia, are the first step to transforming the fashion industry from one that is well known for its wasteful practices, to one that can complete its practices that is both ethically and environmentally sustainable. The practice of upcycling brings aspirations, due to its current trend, easy accessibility and celebrating textile's renewable nature.