Patchwork: Sustainable Fashion's Latest Trend
Image Courtesy: Strike FSU
With rising efforts to lessen the fashion industry’s environmental impact, designers and customers alike are searching for innovative ways to revamp old clothes. The rise of upcycling has steadily risen in popularity, but sustainable fashion’s latest fall trend is all about upcycled patchwork. Patchwork has been a runaway staple for the past several seasons, typically in pants, but this reinvented style is unlike anything seen before. Headed by well-known fashion brands like Rua Carlota, the latest era of patchwork is all about taking strips of fabric, buttons, and zippers from old clothing and designing something modern, and most importantly, unique.
This twist on traditional patchwork provides pieces with a more rugged, colorful look. By combining different fabrics and threads, each piece is one of a kind. Additional styles of patchwork include visible stitches on the outside and the incorporation of diverse color palettes, unlikely to be seen elsewhere. These techniques result in chic, Instagramable looks. Although this method is most prevalent in shirts, the creative freedom within this trend also gives way to similar pants and shorts. This upcycling practice is quickly becoming a must-have for countless environmentally conscious shoppers and celebrities. Rita Ora was quick to hop on the trend, donning a Rua Carlota top and matching shorts on Instagram.
Rua Carlota is not the only notable name in the upcycling patchwork game. Another influential company is Myae Made; they are well-known on Instagram. Similar to Rua Carlota, Myae Made joins sheer and knitted fabrics to produce trendy tops. Myae Made and Rua Carlota are both currently sold out, but you can follow them on their social medias for their next releases. While these brands can fall on the pricier side, the average Myae Made top retails around $140 and about $280 on Rua Carlota. With that said, big fashion companies are not the only ones remixing pieces. Shirts similar in style can be found all over DePop and Poshmark, often made by independent, smaller designers. Often, these shirts are retailed at a more wallet-friendly price, hovering around the $20 mark.
If you are still concerned with pricing, fear not, for the beauty behind upcycled patchwork is that you can be your own designer! Upcycling is the perfect opportunity to breathe new life into your wardrobe while doing the best for our planet. Getting started is as easy as grabbing some old shirts and an emergency sewing kit. Even though buying cheap, mass-produced clothes off the internet is easy, it contributes to companies responsible for polluting the atmosphere through production methods. On average, the fashion industry contributes 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, most fast-fashion companies underpay and overwork their employees. Buying from apps like Depop also helps smaller businesses stay up and running. Instead of buying into fast-fashion, consider looking into Rua Carlota, Depop, and Myae Made. Not only will you be helping the planet, but you will look trendy while doing it.
Strike Out,
Writer: Alyssa Cuevas
Editor: Lexi Fernandez
Graphics: Abbey Flemming
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