Article written in collaboration with GreenKit
Textiles last, so we keep it for a long time, right? WRONG. Sadly, textile waste is huge such as its cousin "food waste" usually more on the spotlight. The textile industry is highly responsible for that waste, especially with the phenomenon of Fast-fashion. Every year in France the weight of destroyed textile is equivalent to between one and two Eiffel towers, according to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Solidarity. In the meantime, only one fourth of our clothes are recycled in France. Sad facts. Instead of pointing out the ones responsible for this, we would like to show some solutions and actions that make this textile industry more circular. You know it, circularity is our favorite topic!
I felt like Marie Kondo, what now?
You took some time to sort out your closet and it feels good, but now what should you do with clothes and textile? Of course the donation is the most charitable option. We often think of giving it to friends or associations. There are also other donation options. Some sustainable brands use old curtains, sheets and clothes as a basis to create new circular products (see some examples below). In this case, giving them some raw materials, ie. your unused textiles, is also a way to support their activity and projects. Finally, some art and fashion schools are also happy to receive materials they can practice with!
Refresh or upcycle - you can do it!
If your old textiles are not up to today's standards, they are ways to refresh it. For the old curtains that turned a bit yellow, give it a good white vinegar bath and it might find its initial whiteness - thanks grandma for the tip! Former sheets can get a second youth becoming tea towels or napkins , keeping a use in the household. With an old tea-shirt you can cut a crop top into or play with colorants and bleach to make a tie and dye effect on it. Or add some laces on a boring piece of clothes.
Transformation is a circular solution that also drives your creativity so dare to try it! With a good tutorial, like the ones of UnTrésorDansMonPlacard, scissors and needles, the old tablecloths and curtains can take a whole new role in your closets. Offer a new career to your clothes! Turn dresses into skirts, old shirts into lingerie, every transformation is worth even the more basic ones like turning tea-shirts into accessories such as tote bags or scrunchies. You can also transform shirts into baby clothes with the help of Canette Paris that sends you an all included kit with pattern, materials and guidelines to do so!
Experts in Tableclothes turn over
Some brands are more and more sensible to environmental issues and textile waste. Some even build their identity around this missions. And among those, some upcycled creations are real wonders, made into old curtains or sheets. An example of it is Paumara Creations, born with the wish of giving a new use to abandoned textiles. The goal of Marine, Paumara's founder, is to create trendy articles within a reasonable price while respecting our planet and its resources. Unique pieces of clothes and accessories are to be found on her website Paumara. The brand DownOnZeCorner also reuses old textiles for its creation of women fashion with a wish to value existing fabrics and short loops through upcycling. The colours and patterns, as well as the handmade work, make those pieces unique. She will soon open a shop near Bordeaux but in the meantime go check the website DownOnZeCorner.
We also have beautiful examples for men that want to dress with former sheets. The men underwears by LaVieEstBelt are upcycled and colorful. As a bonus, the rests of fabric are turned into scrunchies! We love brands that care about circular details.
Making beautiful objects from old one, is one of the motto of LunelVintage but is also performed by other entrepreneurs such as Paumara, DownOnZeCorner, UnTrésorDansMonPlacard, CanetteParis and LaVieEstBelt and many more! Think of those brands when you need something "new" and are able to reuse materials and value craftwork. When wearing their work you also wear the values of a world a bit less crazy and participate on your scale to close the loop...
For other "green" advice go visit the platform of Green Kit.
If you know other circular projects share it with us on instagram or facebook LunelVintage.
