The circular economy has ushered in a new wave of entrepreneurial innovation, recovering value from discarded materials in creative and unexpected ways. From online marketplaces such as Etsy to competitions like ReDress, designers across the world are embracing the concept of upcycling. They make new products out of the waste stream, often adding considerable value in the process.
Caro Peirs runs her own brand Tropas and produces shoes using waste denim fabric.
“The mass production of clothing has accelerated so rapidly that we’re now faced with unimaginable amounts of disposable products. We need to start looking more carefully at the intrinsic value of all the fibres and materials that currently end up as trash.” (Caro)
But despite the seeming success of such upcycling or remanufacturing processes, the road to financial sustainability is still barely chartered. Due to a lack of infrastructure and machinery for the repurposing of waste textiles, designers find it difficult to scale production and grow out of their one-(wo)man businesses.
Hannah Vanspauwen and Tiny Geeroms are the driving forces behind the upcycling brand Paule Josephe. Currently the duo carries through an entire value chain: collecting suitable shirts at the reuse centre, laundering and remanufacturing the fabric, re-designing it through embroidery, shirring and ribbons, up to the sales, communication and marketing efforts.
“We believe in the success of our model: we want to build emotional connections with a garment and the stories it carries.” (Hannah)
This is where the TOP-atelier project wants to make a difference. A two-year innovation journey sponsored by the Flemish circular economy agency in Belgium, the project aims to build an entire value chain for remanufacturing on the local level.
TOP-Atelier reviews the current sorting practices and introduces innovative tweaks to enable pre-sorting for upcycling brands. The project also experiments with new techniques to separate used garments into their components, cutting them up in uniform sizes and shapes. In doing so, TOP-Atelier breathes new life into the manufacturing industry in Belgium.
In the coming months, TOP-atelier will share a map of companies and organisations that can deliver (parts of) the repurposing process, so designers know where to start in bringing their craft and creativity to more industrial levels.
Ann Collier, coordinator of TOP-atelier explains the rationale behind the project:
“Today, designers who want to start an upcycling brand will struggle to establish a systemic understanding about the challenges and success factors involved. We want to counter this knowledge gap.”
And as it turns out, “the apparel industry is actually positively surprised by the quality and added-value that upcycling can bring. Their reactions are very promising for the future of upcycling.”
To be continued…