The Urgency to up cycle Textiles waste.
Textile is one of the industries that exercise maximum pollution to Mother Nature, in just 20 yrs our taste for fast fashion has doubled our textile waste. : As a whole, the fast fashion of the fashion industry is polluting the planet at a continuous rate Criticisms of Fast fashion leave a pollution footprint, with each step of the clothing life cycle generating potential environmental and occupational hazards and creating a negative environmental impact.
Manufacturers and designers in the mainstream fashion industry discard on average 15 percent of materials en route to production .The majority of it ending up in landfills. Production of textile conventionally creates a negative environmental impact by consuming non-renewable resources. Textile waste is a material that is deemed unusable for its original purpose by the owner during clothing production. Up cycling is no longer about finding the cheapest possible way to come up with some kind of mess/scrap , instead the focus is on achieving the best possible end result from that scrap. Up cycling is greener than recycling.
An increasing amount of waste is generated every year from the production and use of textiles. For economic and environmental reason, it is becoming increasingly necessary to recycle as much as possible Rethinking this discards, changing how we think about waste and what we do with it. Everyday many researches are being done to innovate new products and technologies but not many focus on the reclaim or a better alternative of used up and waste textiles that is either incinerated (burnt) or discarded in the landfills.
How upcycling fashion helps the indian economy ?
Up cycling textile waste plays a major role in the sustainability criteria of economic, environmental and social dimensions.When companies rejected cuttings are dumped in landfills, they decompose and release greenhouse gases contributing to global warming in the landfill, they may release toxic substances in groundwater and surrounding soil.
Buying up cycled products conserve water and air and contributes to the change needed to close the loop on waste and also reducing the landfills thus helping in environment conservation.It also helps in creating employment thus increasing socio economic productivity of youth and women’s community and improves their lively hoods through sustainable income generating activities.
Up cycling is ushering in an entirely new wave of entrepreneurial innovation. Textile up cycling industry has great potential to expand,Does fashion week and model accept fashion upcycling ?!
If Yes please explain. Yes
Up cycling adds value by transforming or reinventing an otherwise-disposable item into something of higher quality. It’s the ultimate in reuse–and a whole new industry sector is shaping up around it. up cycled apparel can be a part of this revolution — helping people aware and make meaningful choices with their clothing while appreciating the history of the industry. Through which wastage is being decreased and to motivate people to opt for waste free products. We use the materials that would otherwise be a waste. We also wish to challenge the whole perception of waste One thing is certain, whether good or bad, people will always look for clothes to wear; the opportunity for the clothing line to sell their product is massive and we hope to leverage on these opportunities. The environmental benefits of UPCYCLING Aare mammoth , aside minimizing the volume of discarded materials and waste being sent to landfill each year, it also reduces the need for production using new or raw materials which means a reduction in air pollution ,water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions.
How does working with up-cycled materials influence the design process?
The art of upcycle is reconstructing items and creating unique valuable item.the choice of materials has a large impact on upcycled designs. designing requires patience and an open mind: one can not be too specific, large quantities. Time should be spent on seeking out textiles that are in line with the aesthetics of the brand, and that are of high quality. The chosen fabrics should also hang well together, to strengthen the design and render it more durable. When using similar fabrics for one same piece, the caring process becomes easier during the use phase. It can be a challenge to find materials and textiles that match together and fit with the designer’s expectations. Designing garments based on the available fabrics rather than the other way around is sometimes the best way to optimise the use of the fabrics found. Every piece of discarded textile is different, and that is both the pro and the con with upcycling.
How do you try to live more sustainably in your personal life?
quality over quantity, reuse, upcycle support women empowerment. Is upcycling not just
prolonging the fact that the material or object will eventually end up in landfill?
Yes and no!
Yes it is diverting it from landfill, but no, it doesn’t necessarily have to end up in landfill eventually. Things can be upcycled time and time again. But if it does end up there years down the road – let me explain why upcycling & prolonging its lifespan has still made a positive impact…
Most things that have been made and manufactured are still in existence somewhere – or have left an imprint on the environment somehow. Not everything is recyclable and not everything biodegrades. We know that recycling isn’t always the most environmentally friendly option and we know the process of something biodegrading can give off greenhouse gases which contributes to climate change and pollution. As does incineration. And just like our emotions – it’s not the answer to bury them either. Sooner or later they are going to have an impact! We put a lot of energy, money, labour and resources into disposing, exporting and recycling ‘end of life’ materials – which doesn’t favour the environment OR the economy. And even worse – many of these still have life left that they could give! THAT is a waste.
We also know now, that the way we have been operating is seriously impacting our planet and is unsustainable.
So the thing is, if everything that’s in existence has to go somewhere – doesn’t it make more sense to reuse and upcycle it so that we don’t create MORE things that ALSO have to go somewhere?
I can’t help but think of the old age advice of ‘make the most of what you have’ Because by making the absolute maximum out of what we already have – we need less.
The most sustainable product is the one that we already have. By challenging our thinking and looking at this ‘waste’ as a resource for something new instead – then we see it for the value it is. By keeping the material rather than exporting it – and by offering it for reuse and upcycling instead – then we open up economic opportunity to keep that value in the country – to increase that value – as well as to create jobs & businesses & new products – in a circular economy.
By using what we already have, we reduce new things being made, recycled and disposed of. It makes more sense and is kinder to environment. so, while some items will still end up being recycled or landfilled long after being upcycled – the fact that they have been reused and upcycled to their maximum before that has a deeper knock on effect – which positively impacts not only the environment, but it also benefits our society and the economy too.
Our relationship with the environment has changed so much over the last few decades. Our ancestors lived by the seasons, they respected the land they lived on, they were more aware of nature and how to protect it. Today, more and more of us live in city and suburban areas, we spend most of our time indoors, we have lost that powerful connection between us and the real world, planet earth. We have become a throw-away society, with no cares about the consequences. It just can’t go on; we must begin to practice sustainable living again.The world is constantly evolving. Technogy and innovation have enabled us to consume and discard more than ever but recently we begun to understand the negative environmental impact . we are currently a throwaway socirty but one that is on the forefront of change.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT UPCYCLING IS A NEW TERM? IN THE PAST, DID YOU UPCYCLE EITHER INTENTIONALLY OR UNINTENTIONALLY?
NO
What is taught to us about refusing, reducing, reusing and upcycling, a middle-class mother not only subconsciously follows but also teaches her children, if they just care to observe. And these eco-friendly habits come to moms as a second nature.
Our company originally created garments for other companies commercially and there was a huge amount of textile waste generated from it. We thought of creating something from the mounds of fabric discarded due to miniscule variations in pattern design or colors could be put to a better use. Step by step through various up cycling projects and garments done on a small scale, this happened and we turned up cycling in a bold new statement..
sustainability being a need of the hour, not only keeping in mind the losses faced due to the pandemic crisis, but also the fact that Climate Change is still a very real and apparent issue we are facing. Fashion is an extremely powerful component of our daily lives, empowering individuals every day to showcase emotions and dialogues through colours and patterns alike.
Slow fashion is a movement based on the principle of sustainability, where homegrown fashion houses focus more on emotional, ethical, and ecological qualities and prefer them over uniformity and blandness. Slow fashion respects the cultural diversity, the limited and unlimited resources at our disposal, and the ecological framework of the world we live in.
