Another challenge is reckoning with the chemical heritage of upcycled garments, which can be difficult to assess if care labels are removed, faded, or offer limited disclosures. There have been cases where counterfeit products — which are also open to upcycling — have caused skin irritation or rashes, due to the use of chemicals like formaldehyde being used as a fixative for dyes or a stabilising agent for wool, notes Scafidi. Likewise, Bank & Vogue’s Bethell says older leather garments and waterproof products are “no-fly zones” for Beyond Retro, because of the potential presence of harmful chemicals that would not pass safety regulations today. The best way upcyclists can cover themselves — and their customers — against this risk is to test fabric or include a disclaimer that they are unaware of the material and chemical composition, adds Scafidi.
Dutch textile artist Phlox van Oppen employs traditional crafts such as weaving and tufting to rework waste – including the wristbands given to attendees of Dutch Design Week – into new materials.Photos: Phlox van Oppen
One of the main challenges for upcyclists is the never-ending flow of new textile waste. Much has been written about the environmental and social impacts of this in recent years, largely owing to the activism around secondhand markets in the Global South that receive regular and overwhelming shipments from the Global North. One example is Ghana’s Kantamanto Market — one of the largest secondhand markets in the world, which suffered a devastating fire in January. The Revival is one of the upcycling companies based at Kantamanto Market that has broken onto the global stage. It recently launched a training programme to upskill local workers in upcycling and support other upcycling businesses, and has drop-off spots where secondhand traders can donate their unsold goods. However, founder Yayra Agbofah says the system is flooding with too much low-quality textile waste.
To combat this, brands can start to implement circular design principles, considering end of life and ease of disassembly from the beginning, to avoid problems downstream. Educators are already getting the next generation of designers to think about this: at London’s Royal College of Art, fashion research tutor Joyce Addai-Davis has added landfill and waste to the marking criteria for students, alongside systems, biomaterials and digital.
“Upcycling is an essential part of the fashion ecosystem, but it isn’t regarded this way by brands,” says Agbofah. “They need to design in a way that makes upcycling more viable, and consumers need to donate good stuff, which has been repaired and looked after. The worse the quality of the clothing entering the waste stream, the shorter the lifespan of the upcycled product, too.”
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