Imagine the scene. A model paces the runway with empty detergent bottles and egg cartons dangling from her shoulders. She wears a skirt that in a previous life had been a shower curtain and sandals made from scraps of bicycle tires. Did he make a detour to the landfill? Of course not! It is simply showing a trashy designer’s passion for clothes made from recycled materials.
The magic of creativity: waste becomes fashion
Recovering junk items for making jewelry, clothing and accessories is no longer a novelty in the spotlight. Today, the idea is supported by widespread brands and taken in the most fascinating directions to promote a sustainable approach. Let’s explore the transition from experimental fringes to the heart of the mainstream together.
“Trashion”: story of the origins of a creative-recycling movement
Although it is not clear who was the first to use it, the term “trashion” appeared at the beginning of the new millennium. By the end of 2004 the movement had taken on a large scale and at the underground parties in Manhattan‘s Lower East Side on the dance floors exotic high-fashion second-hand fabrics reigned.
The concept found a wider audience when it was used for the American reality TV show Project Runway. The challenge posed to the competitors was to create fashion garments using recycled materials, but the extravagant thing was that they had to do it using automobile components. Coats and suits were made entirely from seat belts, vinyl upholstery, rubber mats and other automotive components, and although not easily machine washable, the results were truly amazing. This is what creative recycling is!
New life to old things: clothing and trash 2.0
The relationship between trash and automotive components has continued to evolve in unexpected ways. Designers no longer have to rummage through scrap and pull out rusty pieces to recycle to create a skirt. Today, they are rather invited to work with innovative recycled fabrics, designed for cars but labeled as cutting-edge fashion items.
One example is the collaboration in 2015 and 2016 between Ford Motor Company and Redress – a charity focused on sustainability – at the Redress Forum: Ford Design Challenge. For two consecutive years, the carmaker has invited ten emerging international designers to transform the fabrics used to cover the seats of their cars into fashion garments for Hong Kong Fashion Week, operating according to the principle of sustainability.
The coatings in question are in turn derived from recycled plastic bottles and textile waste. And despite the initial distrust of a material considered too rigid or heavy to work with, the designers eventually discovered a very versatile raw material capable of taking on different shades of color and texture. One of the winning projects was inspired by local architecture, creating asymmetrical dresses in shades of gray and copper that clearly recall the underpass leading to Hong Kong’s scenic Victoria Peak.
From fishing net to swimsuit
Currently, trashion is now an established current and waste or abandoned materials are regularly converted or recycled into clothing. This is neither a shock tactic nor a marketing ploy – brands themselves provide customers with what they want – smart sustainability.
An increasing number of clothing lines are reusing recycled components, as in the case of swimwear made by Volcom reusing fishing nets or jeans created by G-Star RAW with plastic recovered from the oceans. The fashion future of recycling has also extended to accessories, with bags, wallets and belts made from rubber, seat belts and recycled vinyl. Freitag is one of the market leaders in this field.
And none of the above has anything to envy to a traditional bikini, denim jacket or handbag. Indeed, the materials used are pure avant-garde, built in the name of sustainable design and an expression of comfort both on the beach or in the urban jungle and on the catwalk.
Sophie is a fashion editor with a focus on luxury brands and fabric innovation. She writes about quality craftsmanship, offering insights into what makes timeless pieces truly stand out.
