Bleaching Boundaries: How One Artist Reimagines Fashion
Image Courtesy: Jacob Cili
In an age where fast fashion dominates, a counter-movement is quietly emerging, championing sustainability, individuality, and creativity. Upcycling, popularly known as the transformation of thrifted clothing into wearable art, challenges consumer culture's wasteful practices by breathing new life into discarded garments. Jacob Cili, a Miami-based artist, uses innovative hand-bleaching techniques to transform thrifted pieces into unique works of art, redefining what sustainable fashion can look like. His brand, Cili, merges eco-consciousness with self-expression, inviting others to rethink their relationship with fashion and embrace more sustainable habits. According to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, the rise of fast fashion has come at a steep environmental cost, with the industry accounting for 2-8% of global carbon emissions and nearly 20% of wastewater production. Overproduction and overconsumption have led to millions of tons of discarded clothing each year, much of which ends up in landfills. By upcycling thrifted clothing, artists like Cili are offering an alternative vision for the future of fashion. His work offers a tangible example of how fashion can shift from being part of the problem to part of the solution.
Image Courtesy: Jacob Cili
Jacob’s journey into upcycled fashion began unexpectedly. “My mom accidentally got bleach on one of my shirts, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away,” he recalls. “So instead, I got more bleach and fought fire with fire.” This spark of inspiration soon evolved into a creative passion. Eventually, the Cili brand was born. Jacob, who spends time thrifting with his sister, describes those outings as “treasure hunting, filled with all forms of nostalgia.” Once he began experimenting with bleach, he realized he could add his own stories to the ones already embedded in the clothes.
What started as casual experimentation soon evolved into a deliberate artistic endeavor. The creative process begins in thrift stores, where he searches for clothes with character—sturdy, cotton-based fabrics and minimally designed pieces that leave room for his creativity. “Everything I bleach has to be cotton,” he explains. “I typically like to find blank or minimally designed shirts with text so I can create the appropriate imagery.” For him, thrifting is not just a means of sourcing materials but also a sustainable act that challenges the demand for new production and diverts clothing from landfills. Working with bleach is both challenging and rewarding. “Bleaching different clothes always comes with surprises,” Jacob says. “Certain colors bleach purple or white. Some hold bleach in one spot while others spread it around. It’s always fun to see how each shirt evolves.” These surprises, along with the occasional imperfections, are integral to his designs. “Mistakes are never supposed to be seen as bad when creating art,” he emphasizes. “Yes, some things don’t go according to plan, but that’s what gives each piece personality and makes it unique.” The result is a one-of-a-kind creation that celebrates individuality while embodying sustainability principles.
Image Courtesy: Jacob Cili
For Jacob, fashion is a powerful form of self-expression and storytelling. “Fashion is your presence,” he says. “It is representative of you and your personality. Wearing something meaningful to you is the highest form of self-expression.” His upcycled pieces carry layers of meaning—the artist’s vision, the piece’s history, and the wearer’s identity. By creating pieces that stand out in a sea of mass-produced clothing, Cili inspires consumers to value creativity and sustainability over fleeting trends. “I want people to feel more connected with their clothes, knowing what it represents and stands for,” he adds. “I want them to develop their individuality and experiment with bold, creative ways to define their style.” Beyond the artistry, Jacob’s work serves as a critique of fast fashion and its environmental impact. Upcycled fashion, as seen in his creations, challenges the fast fashion industry's wastefulness by celebrating imperfection and the power of reuse. “People should be aware of what they’re paying for, what their money supports,” he explains. “Cili aims to counteract the damage of throwaway culture by promoting secondhand fashion and creating one-of-one unique pieces of art.” His work reminds us that art doesn’t have to hang on walls—it can live and breathe, move through the world, and change how we see it.
Looking to the future, Jacob envisions his work making an even greater impact. “I see my work worn by people of influence who can help spread the positive representation of my brand,” he says. Through his work, he demonstrates that fashion can be both expressive and sustainable, merging art and activism in a profoundly personal way. His pieces are a testament to the idea that even the most overlooked objects can turn into something remarkable with creativity and care.
Image Courtesy: Jacob Cili
Discover more of his creations on Instagram at @jcili_art or visit his website at www.jcili.com.
Strike Out,
Writer: Kayla Perez-Fontaine
Editor: Dani Hernandez
Graphic Designer: Rafael Lisboa
Tallahassee