Upcycling news and archive

TexCycle in Bulgaria: textile sorting, recycling and upcycling under one roof

How long does it take to sort through 60 tons of post-consumer textiles? We are talking careful, professional sorting - by type of articles, quality, fibres, composition, colours and more. For comparison - an adult giraffe weighs about a ton. Now picture 60 full-grown giraffes on one side of a giant scale and their weight in discarded textiles...

Fashion

ShopGoodwill.com to bring thrift to the catwalk at NYFW

ShopGoodwill.com, the e-commerce auction platform created, owned, and operated by the Goodwill non-profit organisation, is teaming up with fashion designer Evan Hirsch to bring thrifted Goodwill treasures to the catwalk during New York Fashion Week for the first time. Hirsch, known for his viral transforming dresses and sustainable approach to...

DFB Festival 2025: Showcasing original design and local identity in Brazil

Between May 14 and 17, the Ceará Events Centre in Fortaleza hosted the 2025 edition of the DFB Festival. With Claudio Silveira as the event's creator and director, and Helena Silveira as executive director, the festival brought together original designers and brands in catwalk shows, talks and discussion panels. There were also stands and an...

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Business|Interview

How ANDAM winner Losanje makes textile upcycling a profitable business model

French start-up Losanje, founded by Simon Peyronnaud and Mathieu Khouri, winner of the ANDAM 2025 Fashion Innovation Award, established itself as a key player in textile upcycling. Thanks to its proprietary technology and an integrated approach, Losanje succeeded in making upcycling economically viable and, ultimately, scalable. A year after our...

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Fashion |In Pictures

E.L.V. Denim brings its upcycling journey to LFW

British luxury fashion brand E.L.V. Denim opened London Fashion Week to become the first fully upcycled brand on-schedule with an immersive presentation celebrating its sustainable innovative and high-end fashion. Dubbed ‘The Journey,’ the presentation showcased curated vignettes documenting E.L.V. Denim’s process of turning discarded garments...

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Culture

Ian Berry exhibits in Turkey for the first time

For the first time, renowned denim artist Ian Berry is exhibiting in Turkey. The show “Beyond Denim” opened its doors at the beautiful art centre Kalyon Kültür in the Şişli neighbourhood of Istanbul and will be on view until February 2025. The exhibition consists of some the artist’s most known works as well as those especially prepared for the...

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Business|CEO Interview

Reju CEO Patrik Frisk: 'There is very little that you can’t reuse'

“I’ve spent decades working for brands (Under Armour, The North Face, Timberland, Jansport, Smartwool, Reef, Peak Performance, Gore-Tex, Vans) that make clothes that people love. Yet, too many of these garments have ended up in landfills or incinerated. And increasing global consumption and fast fashion are only accelerating this problem,” says...

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Business

‘A circular economy for the textile industry offers opportunities, but also needs action’

A recent report looks at the chances and challenges of a circular textile industry in the Netherlands, thus providing interesting input for other countries as well. The report titled ‘Towards a Dutch Circular Textile Industry’ was published by Invest-NL, an investment company that finances sustainable and innovative projects. While a circular...

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Business|OPINION

Why Earth Day has become largely a marketing gimmick

What do Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and Earth Day have in common? They are all days that highlight something/someone that should go without saying and be celebrated every day of the year - mothers (parents in general), love and our earth. The very existence of such days of remembrance shows that something is amiss - why do mothers need to be...

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Business

Sustainability in fashion: highlights from January to March 2024

In the first quarter of 2024, much happened again in terms of sustainability efforts in the textile and apparel sector and related industries. For example, there was a lot to read - you should not miss the important reports mentioned below, changes in legislation, interviews conducted by FashionUnited with industry pioneers, as well as...

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Business|EXCLUSIVE

Upcycling, a solution for companies' carbon and financial footprints

Is upcycling extending beyond its traditional mission of giving a second life to textiles? What if the introduction of automation into this practice paves the way for a symbiosis between ecology, economy, and strategy for businesses? Since 2020, Losanje has asserted itself as a pioneer of French-made upcycling, revolutionising the way finished...

Making something new from something existing is 'in': This is upcycling

Which fashion designers are upcycling? How big is the upcycling movement? And how popular is it actually with the general public, i.e. the consumer? You can find more about upcycling in this background article. As always, we start at the beginning. Click on the icons in the text for more information. Contents • The meaning of upcycling (and how...