The average American throws away a whopping 68 lbs. of unwanted clothing in a single year. In response to this issue, the industry of redesigned or recycled fashion is expanding on all levels. Revamped fashion has also become more accessible thanks to sustainable companies and designers devoted to transforming used textiles into coveted and fashionable garments. Companies such as TRAIDremade, Preloved, E2, Geoffrey B. Small, Urban Renewal, and Community Service are among those following this movement.
TRAIDremade is a brand and a registered charity. The company creates edgy garments made exclusively from donated materials collected from 900 recycling banks across the UK. TRAID stands for Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development. The charity works to save clothes and shoes from the landfill, raise funds for overseas development projects, and educate the public on environmental and poverty issues. Since its launch in 2000, the company has donated a total of over $1.8 million to projects such as creating a fishing cooperative in the Philippines, supplying clean water for the people of Kenya and providing educational activities encouraging students to discuss relevant issues. The recycled clothing offered by the brand became widely available through a partnership with Topman, a high-street chain, in 2002. Now TRAIDremade’s clothing is available in Topman’s Oxford Circus store, allowing for accessible sustainable clothing.
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| TRAIDremade Peplum Dress |
Très chic! French partners Michele Meunier and Olivier Chatenet founded the label E2 in 1999 as a means of pursuing their love of vintage clothing. Meunier and Chatenet combine contemporary taste with vintage designer clothing and ethnic items through selling their products directly from the runway or showroom in season. The line offers refashioned vintage pieces from high-end designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Madame Grès. The brand also provides reworked ethnic costume as well and a line of elaborate dresses made from vintage silk scarves. They source their redesigned items from estate sales, auctions, and flea markets. E2 clothing can be purchased online, from its exhibition-like shows, or by appointment.
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| E2 Silk Flower Print Dress |
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| Geoffrey B. Small Runway |
Urban Outfitters offers an exclusive Urban Renewal line made of one-of-a-kind pieces handcrafted in Philadelphia from vintage, surplus or unwanted materials sourced from rag mills worldwide. The company uses local manufacturing and staff to reconstruct vintage pieces and recycle discarded fabrics. Source materials include men’s shirts, sheets, vintage t-shirts and Levi’s denim. These pieces are washed, dyed and trimmed until they are ready to wear. No Urban Renewal item is made from the same material, so each creation is slightly different from the rest. Customers can choose the shape, size and color of each garment, and will receive a printed design from what is available. The line includes dresses, tops, scarves, vests (for the men) and even jewelry.
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| Urban Renewal |
Community Service is a redesigned clothing line here in Athens created by Sanni Baumgaertner, owner of COMMUNITY. The line consists of revamped vintage pieces with a modern twist. Community Service has produced collections and fashion shows biannually since Fall 2010. The Spring 2012 collection will be available for purchase in COMMUNITY this week.
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| Community Service |
For more Information:
TRAIDremade: shop, support
E2: shop
Geoffrey B. Small: site
Urban Renewal: shop, blog
--Claire Ruhlin, Community Intern
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