Mixing design and innovation- that's what upcycling is all about. To a student upcycling would help to portray fashion with a worthy cause attached to it and also would be easy on the pockets.
Upcycling stands in contrast to recycling. According to Strobel the spokes person for Gabarage, a design store in Vienna, in an interview given to Goldsmith (2009), they upvalue products innovatively, instead of just reusing them. If more brands follow this trend of upcycling, then reducing waste through upcycling would have a better chance of becoming commercial rather than be just a passing trend for green fashion.
Often sustainable fashion, Eco, Green blur (Thomas 2008) , organic, recycling and up-cycling all gets thrown together into a messy mash.Words related to fashion, ecology, the environment, sustainability and ethics, are not fully understood or are used incorrectly(Thomas 2008). There is no point in going blind if one has no comprehension of the meaning behind up-cycling. The usage of its term should be restrictive and not loosely associated with all the green blur (Thomas 2008) as discussed in 'From Green Blur to Eco-fashion: Fashioning an Eco-lexicon' (Thomas(2008). Upcycling is catching on and is hopefully here to stay. Although hopefully the term wouldn't lose its value by over-usage in the wrong context as with all trends of the past season like metro-sexual man or going pink which was misunderstood by many as effeminate or a sign of homosexuality for the straight men who assumed it gave the wrong message. With understanding of the term and its usage it should become a trend to stay for the coming years as hoped by all the green fashion supporters.
References:
Thomas, S., 2008. From Green Blur to Ecofashion: Fashioning an Eco-lexicon. Fashion Theory, 12( 4), pp. 525 – 540
Earley, R., 2009. Worn Again: Rethinking Recycled. [online] Arts and humanities research council. Available from: http://tedresearch.polimekanos.com/media/files/PROJECT_REPORT_2011.pdf [Accessed 21 february 2012]
Earley, R., 2006. Well Fashioned: Eco Style in the UK. [online] Crafts Council touring exhibition. Available from: http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/whats-on/view/well-fashioned-eco-style-in-the/detail [Accessed 21 february 2012]
Goldsmith, B., 2009. Trash or treasure? Upcycling becomes growing green trend [online] Reuters.Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/10/01/us-trends-upcycling-life-greenbiz-idUSTRE5903MN20091001?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563 [Accessed 21 february 2012]
Very interesting post. I came across an article "On the green carpet" in the Financial Times which speaks about upcycling so I thought it may be of interest to you. Here is the link: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/8e245a12-58dc-11e1-b9c6-00144feabdc0.html
ReplyDeleteThanks,I loved the article kellie. Infact last week for RGU Fashion Society meeting in room 218 , we were discussing the Oscar fashion and Livia Firth's scarlet dress made of recycled bottles. Eco-Fashion seems to be the trend on the red carpet. Although, it is a pity that I didnt see any Up-cycled fashion on the Red carpet. If you do come across that, kindly let me know.
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