Did you know that over 7.5 million pounds of clothes are being shipped to Ghana’s market every week?
It was a massive volume, and only 1% of these volumes are being recycled and resold, the rest goes to landfills that pollute the environment.
It was truly heartbreaking. Realizing that most of the donated clothes that are not sold from many charity shops go to this country in West Africa, and the local people suffer the consequences.
After watching ABC’s in-depth documentary it helps me understand how much the fashion industry affects many people in a negative light.
It isn’t stylish at all.
Since my arrival here in Australia, I haven’t sent our old clothes to charity shops for resale. In our household, my stepchildren know where to place their unwanted and outgrown clothes, as I segregate them for my upcycling projects; the rest goes to a separate box of clothes for donations that I sent back to the Philippines, usually goes to my mom’s local community that was affected by natural disasters.
Not for resale.
Like these outgrown shirts that were given to me by my stepdaughter. These had some paint stains from, and also doesn’t fit her anymore. Normally, people will just chuck these straight to the bins.
But not me.
After washing them clean, I checked for the condition of the fabric if I can still make something from it, check for the buttons and zippers, removed them all, and kept them to safety for future use.
Then I start mix-and-matching the fabric together with my stash of textile remnants, laid them flat to create a patchwork of art.
It takes time and a lot of patience to do this sort of project. But since I have this strong passion and goals in hand, this kind of work is very therapeutic to me.
Watch my short video for the before and after process:
And here is the final piece!
The secret for this project is sewing together similar types of textiles, regardless of prints.
It was very uplifting wearing clothes that are unique design and something that I personally crafted.
I take pride in each piece that I created. And every day I am grateful for learning the basic skill during my childhood years.
Now my walk-in closet is 70% upcycled clothes, 25% secondhand clothes from various op-shops, and 5% brand-new clothes (but I never paid at full price!).
I used to be a shopaholic many years ago. Now, I’m a proud UPCYCLE FASHIONISTA.
I also wear this jumper during the Gippsland Filipino Festival.
Who knows that I can still be stylish and fashionable without following the Tiktok and influencer trends, of getting a huge fashion haul from various fast fashion brands and posting it back to the brands, or worst, sending it to charity shops after filming fresh haul content.
Ooops, not shading here. Just stating facts.
Cheers to sustainable living!
It is disheartening to hear about all the waste going on in the world. This is such a neat idea!
ReplyDeleteWe can do something even in small ways to help minimize our household waste.
DeleteI love the idea of repurposing old clothes and making them into something new and fresh. I love this outfit!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I enjoyed upcycling and feels happy that I am helping to minimize waste, while enjoying my passion for fashion.
DeleteI love this emphasis on zero to low waste fashion, and a return to the create of homemade fashion is something I 100% support. The jumper looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you upcycle everything. It's such a great way to help the environment and maintain a unique style.
ReplyDeleteWe can do small things, and all starts from our home.
DeleteI love your creativity. I wouldn't be able to do this but thanks for the inspiration. Recycling clothes is always a good thing
ReplyDeleteThank you for appreciating my work!
DeleteI love how educational this article was. Fast fashion is really affecting the community. We all should upcycle clothing in order to stop the massive landfills.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were kids, I remember that our clothes lasts longer. When the fabric becomes too old and frail, we turn then into our pyjama, it will take years before we decided to turn it into a household rug.
DeleteThis outfit look cool and love the pictures you took. You turned it into awesome look.
ReplyDeleteThank you Fransic!
DeleteWOW!!! I never knew this. Makes me think twice about donating clothes. I am going to have to start researching our area donations
ReplyDeleteMost of the big charity organization such as Vinnies, Savos, Red Cross, etc do this to turn stocks (donated clothes) into cash. It is best do your clothing donation locally.
DeleteI love your passion for up cycling clothing! I wish I had some of your sewing skills. Have you considering selling online?
ReplyDeleteI might also consider selling them online. But for now, I am enjoying my passion for personal use. The fashion industry is one of the toughest industry in the market.
DeleteOh my gosh who even knew!! You think you're helping and it ends up hurting. That's the worst! Smart of you to share the word.
ReplyDeleteDonating clothes are also being abused, because buying new clothes becomes disposable.
DeleteOh wow that was a nice output! Wish I have the creativity and time to do the same to my clothes!!
ReplyDeleteSometimes giving time is a big contribution that we can share to make our only world a better place to live in.
DeleteOMG! that is so heartbreaking dear! glad there's at least one person who care for them. anong tips can you give if for someone like me who doesnt sew? what can we do to prevent that?
ReplyDeleteHi Momshie! There are other ways to recycle your old clothes without sewing. You can turn them into rugs, or cut them into pieces and turn them into fillers for your DIY cushion. I'll be making a list of ways how to recycle textile soon!
DeleteThanks for shedding light on how much clothes are involved in overpollution. You did some great work with this design! Very chic and modern and you just get a bunch of old clothes a new and exciting life!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christian!
DeleteYyeeeaaahhhh...it's so sad that all these clothes end up on landfills in Ghana, on a weekly basis! There's nothing stylish about that.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I think it worked. not only that its resourceful in a way but the style is good!
ReplyDeleteThanks MIchael!
Deleteyour creations are getting better and better. i love how you put these patches of fabric together.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Wendy! I enjoyed making these pieces.
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