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We all know how much environmental damage the fashion industry does, with fast fashion brands in particular being responsible for huge amounts of waste and pollution.
But in 2024 it's cool to wear sustainable fashion.
Upcycled fashion brands create beautiful, long-lasting, and stylish items using discarded fabric scraps and post-consumer waste materials. So you can look great and reduce waste at the same time.
Later, I'll explain exactly what upcycled clothing is, and the many benefits to both you and the environment. But to start, I want to introduce you to the amazing upcycled clothing brands that are rocking the sustainable fashion world this year...
✔ Stylish Range for Women & Men
✔ Uses rPET Recycled Plastic Bottles
✔ Recycled & Recyclable Packaging
They Say: Since plastics are indestructible, it’s vital that we find ways to reuse them — so we’re giving that plastic bottle a second life while substantially reducing carbon emissions.
We Say: Wolven's mission is to make sustainability sexy. I have to say, they're doing a pretty damn fine job of it. We've already recommended their ethically made swimwear, but the range goes much further than that.
First the sustainability part. Wolven focuses on making upcycled clothing not from textile waste, but from plastic waste.
A significant proportion (84%) of Wolven's fabrics are made using rPET, an OEKO-Tex Certified material made from upcycled plastic bottles. Not only does this produce significantly fewer carbon emissions than synthetic fibers made using virgin plastic, but it also helps to keep plastic waste out of our rivers and oceans.
Now some upcycled and recycled clothing brands tend to sacrifice the design in favor of the scoring eco-points. Not so Wolven. Their range is amazing, these are clothes you'll want to wear again and again.
They have a wide range of women's wear, catering to all body shapes, sizes, and tastes. I absolutely love the flares, leggings, swimwear, and shorts. The menswear range is less extensive, but they do have some pretty cool joggers and shorts (my brother looks quite cool in these, though I'd never tell him that!)
What's more, there's a pre-loved section where you can buy lightly used clothes, or sell your own in return for store credit.
Wolven is an ethical fashion brand that is fully transparent about its human and environmental impact. I love what they're doing, and I'm pretty sure you will too...
✔ High-Quality Outdoor Gear
✔ Uses Upcycled Coffee Grounds & Plastic Bottles
✔ Sustainable Production & Packaging
They Say: Most of our goods are made from recycled or repurposed materials. Instead of creating new threads, our partners find discarded yarns and plastics, then melt them down and spin them into new fibers. Our Trailhead Shorts, Pants, and Kachula Adventure Blanket are just a few of our items made this way.
We Say: Coalatree Organics is a well-established upcycled brand, making great-looking, long-lasting outdoor clothing for men and women.
As well as scraps of recycled fabrics and textile waste, Coaltree also makes use of less conventional upcycled materials such as used plastic and coffee. To date, they have saved over 100,000 bottles and 80,000 cups of coffee grounds from going to landfill.
The eco-friendly production process takes place in water-saving factories, powered by renewable energy. It uses zero hash chemicals, and the finished product ships in recycled packaging.
The result is a range of pants, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, tops, and shorts that look and feel extremely well-made. I personally loved the designs, with the hoodies being my favorites. The choice of colors also means that Coalatree Organics upcycled clothes will appeal to everybody.
If you want to look and feel great outdoors, safe in the knowledge that what you're wearing has not harmed the environment, then Coalatree Organics is a great choice.
✔ Stunning Women's Clothing & Swimwear
✔ Range of Upcycled & Recycled Fabrics
✔ Biodegradable Bags & Mailers
They Say: We believe style & sustainability are inseparable. We’re all about feeling good, looking good, and doing good. From design to production, distribution, and charitable partnerships - Vitamin A is the sustainable choice.
We Say: Vitamin A isn't just about swimwear (although that is awesome), it's a complete range of organic, recycled, and upcycled clothing for women.
They also have dresses, t-shirts, tops, bottoms, loungewear, and more - all of which look absolutely stunning.
The Vitamin A Eco-Fabric Guide gives details of the 12 sustainable fabrics they use, which includes fabrics made from recycled materials such as nylon & lycra.
Sustainability is also at the heart of the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of the Vitamin A range, much of which is made locally in California.
The quality of these garments is first-rate.
My personal favorites are the Bandeau Top and the Strapless West Dress. But I'll be honest, if I had the money and closet space, I'd seriously consider buying the whole range!
Ladies - if you're looking for new upcycled fashion brands to make you look incredible this summer, then Vitamin A should be near the top of your list.
✔ Hard-Wearing Men's Clothing
✔ Organic, Recycled & Upcycled Fabrics
✔ Repair or Replace Lifetime Guarantee
They Say: You can’t build great clothing without great materials, so we source organic, recycled, or otherwise sustainable components for all of our gear.
We Say: If you're looking for a men's clothing brand that genuinely closes the loop through upcycling, then check out Taylor Stitch.
Many of their items are made from Taylor Stich's "heavy bag" blend. This is a mix of upcycled cotton and recycled polyester, and amazingly uses zero water to make.
What I really like is the commitment to keeping the clothes they make out of landfill. Not only are their garments extremely durable and long-lasting, they also offer to repair or replace any damaged items for life.
Any deadstock materials are reused, and if you have an old garment that you feel is no longer serviceable, you can return it for store credit, and they'll turn it into new recycled clothing for someone else to enjoy.
There's a wide range of menswear on offer, and my brother loves them. They're not cheap to buy, but when you consider the lifetime guarantee and spread the cost over a number of years, the whole range is actually a bit of a bargain.
So for all these reasons, Taylor Stitch is a worthy addition to the upcycling brands list.
✔ Upcycled Fashion for Men & Women
✔ No New Plastic Commitment
✔ Sale Bargains Available
They Say: 97% of our apparel materials containing polyester and nylon are now made from certified recycled fibers. That material is made from recycling plastic water bottles, fishing nets, fabric excess from cutting patterns, and other items otherwise destined for the waste stream.
We Say: Everlane is doing a great job making virtually all of their nylon and polyester out of upcycled plastics and deadstock fabric. We've recommended them before for their sustainable backpacks, and here they are again - so they must be doing something right!
There are plenty of great contemporary styles here for men and women, all made with sustainability and environmental responsibility in mind.
Most of their collection is very affordably priced, and there are often some bargains to be had in the sale section of the website. It's well worth checking out!
I also like their transparent pricing. For each item they show you exactly how much it cost to make, broken down into Materials, Hardware, Labor, Duties, and Transport. So you can check for yourself and have confidence that you're not getting ripped off.
✔ Sustainable Fashion for the Whole Family
✔ Diverts Bottles from Landfills
✔ Carbon Neutral Since 2020
They Say: By processing PET bottles into polyester fibers, we're able to keep those bottles away from waterways and landfills. Not to mention, this production process uses less energy than conventional manufacturing.
We Say: Tentree is a well-known eco-fashion brand that uses a range of sustainable fibers. As well as hemp, organic cotton, and Tencel Lyocell, their upcycled polyester made from PET plastic makes them a worthy addition to this list of the top upcycled brands.
I find Tentree to be quite affordable when compared to other sustainable fashion brands, but that doesn't mean you need to compromise on quality, style, choice, or environmental standards. These guys have it all.
As a B-Corp and Carbon Neutral Certified brand, with full transparency regarding its sustainability, you can be confident that any upcycled clothing you buy here is the real deal.
Websters defines upcycling as:
To reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.
The best upcycled clothing brands take textiles from fashion waste or other discarded materials, most of which may have been heading for landfill, and turn them into high-quality garments that are made to last.
Strictly speaking, upcycled fashion and recycled fashion are different. However, in practice, they are often used interchangeably and technically incorrectly - even within the fashion industry itself!
So if you take a piece of vintage clothing and repurpose it as something else, that is recycling. If you take post-consumer waste materials and turn them into fabrics that can be used to make clothes, that is upcycling.
But don't get upset if some people or brands confuse the two terms. At the end of the day, both are forms of circular fashion and that means good news for the environment!
The main reason that people buy upcycled fashion is that it has a far lower environmental impact. But there are plenty of other less obvious benefits to consider.
By its very definition, upcycling seeks to reduce waste by reusing raw materials that would otherwise be thrown away. It also generally uses far less energy and water than the fast fashion industry.
What's more, when brands upcycle, the clothing they produce is usually of far better quality. It's made to last, not to be thrown away. You will get much better value for money, and reduce textile waste at the same time.
Have you ever turned up at a party to find that one (or more) others are wearing the same dress or shirt? That's conventional fast fashion for you. When clothes are mass-produced, it's no surprise to find others have bought the same item as you.
But upcycled bohemian clothing is the opposite. Sometimes the garments are entirely unique, especially those that have been handmade from upcycled vintage fabrics.
Even if they're from a line, the fact that most brands upcycling clothes are less well-known means it is far less likely that other people will have bought the same item you have.
As you'll have seen, many of the brands I recommended above offer the option to return their items when you no longer want them. They can either be re-sold in a pre-loved collection, repaired, or recycled. And you get store credit in return!
Websters defines downcycling as:
To recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a lower value than the original item: to create an object of lesser value from (a discarded object of higher value)
So in terms of recycled clothing, upcycling results in repurposed clothing which is of higher quality than the original source materials.
If the process created a garment that was of lower quality than the original, it could be described as having been downcycled.
Upcycled clothes are certainly sustainable. For as long as there are waste materials or used vintage clothing, there will be the opportunity to give them a new life, turning them into something new and beautiful instead of throwing them away.
Yes, whether it be upcycled denim clothing, leather, cotton, or polyester made from upcycled PET, more and more consumers are buying upcycled clothing than ever before.
Any fashion brand that creates all or part of its clothing range using waste materials can be described as an upcycling brand.
It is not easy to start an upcycled clothing brand, but those designers who do it well and manage to combine style with sustainability have the potential to be profitable.
The companies I have recommended above all use upcycling for all or a significant part of their range, and have strong environmental credentials overall.
If you are looking for more ideas, Etsy is an upcycled clothing marketplace that has many sellers of authentic vintage clothing and accessories.
It depends on the brand, their designs and what materials they choose to upcycle. These days people buy a wide range of clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories.
If you have some basic sewing skills and a creative eye, you can easily create your own handmade upcycled clothing at home. Using any fabric that would otherwise go to waste and turning it into handmade clothing for yourself or your family to wear.
I'm guessing that you found this article because you are already convinced of the damage done by fast fashion, and are looking for a more responsible way of looking and feeling great.
If you've read this far then hopefully you're convinced that upcycled fashion could be the solution.
I've hand-picked the upcycled clothing brands for this list and they all deserve to be here on merit, because each one is producing an amazing-looking fashion range using upcycled and recycled materials, with minimal impact on the environment.
There's something here to suit everyone, so all that's left for you to do is to browse their websites and find your new upcycled style.
That, of course, is the fun part - so enjoy your shopping!
Our core values mean we always prioritize sustainability over profit. We carefully evaluate and personally test every product to ensure they meet our high standards. All products recommended in this article were tested in accordance with our Review Methodology.
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