Upcycling

Suzanne Parrott, Visual Artist and Clothing Designer

By guest columnist Suzanne Parrott

“The practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value.”

—W. McDonough & M. Braungart,
Cradle to Cradle

We’re all familiar with the word recycle. Recycling is a growing part of our everyday lives. It is becoming a necessary practice in order to supply us with products and to keep our world cleaner. We are taking those first steps, but there are still more ways to stretch the useful life of objects and materials beyond sorting glass and paper to be reclaimed.

The term upcycling is new to many people. Upcycling turns disposable objects into improved ones. Refashioning (upcycling) clothing is a way for us to have beautiful clothes without creating the environmental woes of new apparel production. Pre-worn clothing is upcycled by modifying the original garment or design so that it can have a second life/use. We’re used to a “planned obsolescence” clothing model, but the most sustainable textiles are pre-existing ones. The growing and harvesting of raw materials has been done. There is no new processing or transportation or packaging required. We can reduce the 51 billion pounds of trash that is our yearly textile waste.

Upcycled clothing is fashion that connects the wearer to the garments. There is a transparency in design in upcycled clothing. We see the origins, the construction and materials of each garment. We truly know our clothing from its source to its home in our closet.

What if every new piece of clothing was designed specifically so it could be taken apart and remade when you were finished with it? Upcycling looks at all clothing this way. The final piece of apparel is unique, hand-crafted and locally produced. What more could you ask from your favorite outfit?

Suzanne Parrott is a visual artist and clothing designer. She resides on Peaks Island with her three amazing sons and pretty awesome husband.