JOURNAL 009 - UPCYCLING

I think emerging brands are sustainable for the most part.  Given the budget, you can’t afford to be wasteful but once cannot deny that there’s a problem.

Making clothes has a huge environmental impact. It makes me think about the traditional ideas of growth and how healthy that is long term.

I like to think of my work as futuristic but not in the sleek sci-fi way. I think of a future that is made up of the past, maybe a bit like  (blade runner 1982) if you will.

I feel uniforms are the future. Uniforms that are comfortable, functional, and well-designed. This frame of thinking was a starting point for my upcycling journey.

I examine two main items: Denim and sports mesh.

Both have a versatility that could be used during work like construction or playing sports, but also you can wear these items casually. I can go on for days about how something such as the Chicago Bulls Jersey went from being used mainly on the court to eventually being a cultural staple in every young person's wardrobe.  It also makes me think about my time in Ghana and seeing loads of second hand clothes from North America and Europe being sold.  This is a big market for a lot of people in Africa but we can't just send our waste to these countries. I want  to disrupt that cycle and use these denims and meshes before they were sent off.

To conclude,  we are not claiming to be the most sustainable brand but this is something we've been working on since day one and I'm excited to continue to challenge garment design, construction and consumption.

A big thank you to Kurtis for helping me source the denim.