What is behind Upcycled Swag clothing?
Upcycled Swag Clothing was an idea I came up with a few years ago when I saw so many fabulous items being discarded, either because of a hole, a stain, it no longer fit or wasn’t wanted. Clothing has become a disposable item and our landfills are bursting at the seams.
All of Upcycled Swag’s clothing and fabrics are sourced out at local thrift shops and garage sales or donated directly to me. Nothing is more exciting than a big chunk of vintage fabric in mint condition; my head swirls with ideas and images of what to turn it into. Though I design my clothing for practicality and comfort first, I feel drawn to bold colours and patterns! I then combine a mix of prints and colors to make each piece uniquely special. My customers enjoy the finished products I create, often exclaiming that they would not have thought of that combination of patterns and fabrics. I am not a beige girl to say the least!
While all my clothing is one-of-a-kind and handmade- carefully selected from thousands of items and paired with the perfect fabrics to make something special- I make every effort to keep price points affordable for most budgets.
New products are added almost daily, so please check back often to see what’s new!
Why buying upcycled eco-clothing is a great idea
Did you know that while 90% of textile waste is perfectly recyclable, the average person discards 65 pounds of clothing/ textiles per year? Textiles and clothing that end up in landfills decompose, which releases methane; not to mention the dyes and chemicals in the fabrics that can leach into the soil. Space is another issue, with 11 million tons of textiles equaling about 126 million cubic yards of landfill space. Did you know that most cities have textile recycling drop off locations?
Any scrap fabric that cannot be used is collected and bagged. I then take it to a local thrift shop that runs the main homeless shelter in our city. They have a contract with a large recycling company who pays them .15 cents for every pound I drop off. They in turn use that money for their shelter, which provides support for the homeless in our community. The scrap is then washed, sorted, and recycled into a variety of new again eco products. For example, denim can be shredded and turned into insulation (which is one of the greenest and best value products on the market).
Please check your local area for drop off recycling points in your location. Donate don’t discard!
Buying upcycled goods is a great choice for the environment, and is also a great way to help support a small home-based business.
Upcycled Swag’s Mission Statement:
Upcycled Swag takes discarded clothes and makes them new again! Designed with comfort and practicality in mind, we take second hand items and turn them into brightly coloured, one-of a kind treasures. Each item is carefully selected for its style, fabric, pattern and design, then paired with other fabrics and clothes items to re-use only the best parts. By making sure every piece of every item is either used or donated to a local homeless shelter to be sold for scrap, we are ensuring that thousands of pounds of previously unwanted clothes are staying out of the landfill. With a little care, everything can be re-made and re-loved!