Upcycled Denim
What's the difference between upcycled, recycled and vintage denim? Let's dive in, shall we?
Several months ago I was rummaging through my daughter's closet (usually it's the other way around) for something to wear. I noticed a pair of jeans that she had accidentally ordered 2 pairs of. The denim was a bit stiff, there were seams up the front and back of the legs, and they had frayed hems. I put them on and they didn't fit right. My daughter said, "just wear them a bit and they'll mold to your body". So I wore the jeans and sure enough, after a few hours, they molded to my body perfectly and are now one of my favorite pair of jeans. When I looked up the brand, EB Denim, I had never heard of the company. They source vintage jeans, take them apart, and recreate a new pair of custom jeans, thereby making a perfectly tailored "upcycle" item.
Upcycled denim differs from vintage jeans in that they are a completely new, tailored item made from vintage fabric.
True "vintage" jeans are made from thicker fabric as they don't contain synthetic fibers, where modern denim jeans have more stretch.
Alternately, sustainable denim is produced with the environment in mind. Companies will seek to use factories where every step of the production process happens in the same facility and uses water reduction technology. Some companies, such as DL1961, use materials such as modal & Lyocell, which are lower-impact and biodegradable cellulose fibers.
While all 3, (vintage, sustainable, upcycled denim) have their own unique environmental benefits, I love the look and feel of upcycled jeans. Here are a few companies who are doing it right.
Re/Done
Before luxury brands sold directly to the public, Re/Done was the first to offer their individual, sustainable and mindful fashion to the cool kids. Re/Done began with the original concept of upcycling vintage Levi's into modern fits, using preowned raw goods to create brand new styles while extending the life of old stock. Since launching their brand Re/done has diverted over 226,000 garments from landfills, restructuring them into coveted luxury collectibles. Re/done is currently one of the largest fashion companies distributing upcycled denim.
E.L.V Denim
Anna Foster, Founder and Director of E.L.V Denim begun developing the brand to repurpose vintage denim into new, modern, and sophisticated styles. E.L.V. DENIM jeans and jackets are made up of two pairs of vintage jeans, and the new designs are produced in East London using local factories and ateliers keeping the carbon footprint to a minimum and supporting local communities.
B Sides Jeans
The story of B Sides begins with longtime friends and fashion industry veterans Claire Lampert and Stacy Daily, who began collecting antique denim as founders of the curated-vintage boutique Where I Was From. Their obsession has taken them from Colorado, where they work with a local cowboy who specializes in unearthing rare specimens, to industrial rag houses, where they pick through massive palettes of old garments in search of that perfectly imperfect pair. Their collection begat B Sides’s vintage patchwork styles—graphic jeans that spliced different washes and colors together long before the current craze for reworked denim.
Best,
Maria
xoxo
For a private styling appointment, please email maria@styledbymaria.com.
