Is upcycling becoming part of the future of fashion? Are brands embracing it? According to Louise Grant, founder of Pimp Up Your Plants, it would seem so.
“People have become more educated about fast fashion and I think we now have a slightly better moral conscience when it comes to shopping.” Consumers are looking for more ways of being sustainable shoppers, which doesn’t necessarily mean buying clothes, but reverting to ‘make do and mend’ attitudes.
Why would fashion brands embrace upcyling though? What’s in it for them?
Nona Dimitrova, head of social media and community at Whering, says that upcycling initiatives: “Bring good to the consumer and the environment by extending clothes’ lifecycles, but [also] to the brand itself by promoting a longer-lasting piece.” Dimitrova describes them as: “A win-win situation for the planet, the people and the brand.”
source: https://www.shiftlondon.org/features/an-insight-into-the-brands-promoting-upcycling/
This reinforces my idea that upcycling can be incorporated into the shopping experience, and running an upcycling session can be a good way to talk about shopping with younger shoppers (particularly Gen Z).