With millennials and Gen-Zers becoming more aware of environmental issues, upcycled clothing has become a big trend in the past year. That trend doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon.
Upcycling is the process of reworking old and unused clothing or materials. People then turn them into a higher quality piece afterwards. Upcycled clothing gained its popularity when sustainable fashion started becoming a trend in the market.
More people have found the time to upcycle their old clothes since the pandemic hit. The trend has brought out the creativity in many fashion enthusiasts, bringing us some of the most unique pieces to date.
This week, we scoured the internet to give you the best upcycled pieces online. We hope this gives you the inspiration to support upcycled clothing and sustainable fashion!
Check out our upcycled finds here:
1. Full circle denim jeans by @bydanielpearce
Daniel Pearce started posting his upcycled clothing pieces on Instagram this year. Since April, he’s posted a lot of his reworked clothing. He has reworked shoes, bags, and a lot of denim jeans. Some of his upcycled clothing even have deeper messages related to issues the world faces today.
2. Upcycled vest by @nicolemclaughlin
Nicole McLaughlin is a graphic designer working for Reebok. Nowadays, she has been creating custom pieces for the brand. McLaughlin is famous for her creative and out-of-the-box upcycled pieces. In the past, she’s made use of croissants, lego pieces, toothpaste, and car fresheners as materials. This upcycled vest and other awesome custom pieces are up for raffle and is in collaboration with several platforms dedicated to Black Lives Matter.
READ: Converse and Carhartt Team Up for the Chuck 70 Renew
3. Jelly Jordan by @cerealartist
We first discovered the Cereal Artist on Reddit. Most of her work features the Nike swoosh, neon colors, and jelly materials. Her custom pieces range from bags, shoes, cardholders, bucket hats, and even furniture. Fortunately, the Cereal Artist has an online store where you can cop her unique finished pieces!
4. Utility jacket by @rclmd.la
Reclaimed Los Angeles has been upcycling clothing since 2016. A big chunk of their work features denim jackets, polo shirts, and denim jeans. The brand frequently features brands such as Carhartt, Chanel, Dior, and Stussy. Reclaimed Los Angeles has an online store where you can cop their upcycled clothing.
5. Hoodie by @bykodyphillips
Kody Phillips has been making a name for himself through his upcycled clothing. Phillips frequently incorporates denim material to his work. His upcycled clothing pieces range from hoodies, pants, shorts, and sweaters. You can check out his website to see if you’re down to cop one of his awesome pieces!
6. Reworked Nike cap by @hypeadelic_
Hailing from Virginia, Hypeadelic specializes in upcycling caps. Most of their caps feature brands such as Nike, Supreme, Patagonia, and Louis Vuitton. In the featured image above, Hypeadelic stitched different Nike tags together and brought out this masterpiece. Check out their online store to cop some of their caps or face masks!
The pieces above really show that it’s not just about upcycling itself, it’s also the art form of it. Upcycling is not only limited to clothes. As humans, our creativity has no limits. This has led people to upcycle pretty much anything they can get their hands on. Isn’t that just wonderful?
