Making fashion out of waste: The art of up-cycling

While you’ve been scrolling through your personal social media feed, it’s highly likely you’ve stumbled across a reel where a person gives a used or discarded product a new life. The transformation and creative reuse of existing materials to create something new and beautiful is called upcycling. For most of us, upcycling has been a part of our everyday life since we were kids–having seen our parents, relatives, and friends reuse gift baskets as a fruit holder or a cookie tin as a sewing kit. Given the rising environmental concerns in the fashion industry, the art of upcycling is becoming a concept that’s being adopted across the world. 

The importance of upcycling 

In the world of fashion, upcycling means taking existing garments or materials and turning them into something new and fabulous. Think of it as a creative makeover for your wardrobe, where old pieces get a fresh lease on life. 

Everyone knows that the fashion industry hasn’t always been the greenest, despite our love for the shade. The traditional way of making clothes often leads to a lot of waste and environmental damage. Upcycling offers a solution by reducing waste and reimagining what fashion can be–and, let’s be honest, it’s also endlessly creative.  

From runways to reality 

From big-name designers like Ahluwalia to new Indian brands like Péro, the fashion industry is shifting its focus to sustainability, proving that conscious fashion can be equally stylish. Today,

we’re turning the spotlight on some incredible brands available at The Design Collective Store that use the art of upcycling to create magic. 

House Of Lonali 

Meet House of Lonali, a brand that’s redefining fashion with a sustainable twist. Founded by Lonali Rodrigo in 2012, this Sri Lankan brand focuses on upcycling pre-consumer fabric discards into original clothes and lifestyle products – thereby turning what would otherwise be considered waste into pieces you can wear for years to come. This isn’t just about creating treasure out of trash, it’s about combating the fast fashion craze and offering customers uncompromised style with a conscience. 

Majä

A brand that turns tradition into innovation, Majä is a unique label that’s close to our hearts. It began as a passion project in 2019 which aimed to promote sustainable fashion while celebrating cultural identity. Today, it treats the classic saree as a canvas of possibilities, turning it into unique, contemporary fashion pieces. Each well-worn, pre-loved saree undergoes stringent quality checks and is reimagined with a creative touch, ensuring minimal waste and maximum style. From clothing and purses to shrugs, kimonos, and even footwear, Majä proves that sustainability and creativity go hand in hand.