- Upcycled Fashion takes a considerable amount of talent and effort to create.
- Upcycling provides a unique opportunity to purchase clothing that could have ended up in a landfill because the owner got a hole in a sleeve.
- Donating and recycling are not the same as upcycling. They are all branches on the tree of being more responsible with fashion. Each is equally important.
- Before you look at the cost of an upcycled garment, ask yourself how long it took you to learn your trade and factor that into the cost.
I could keep delivering this list of information on upcycling, but this post is to share a venture by Reebok Collective with Justin Mensinger. The goal of the collection isn’t to enhance Reebok’s financial status, although some would argue that Reebok gains authenticity points by creating this campaign and that value is equally as important as the financial side of things… That’s not the point here. Reebok is a company that has been sold by adidas, bought by Authentic Brand Groups and licensed to several other companies around the world. The result from a move like this could mean a race to the bottom where every licensee creates some watered down version of the brand to throw in back to school shops and off price retail, or the result could be licensees allowing Reebok to continue creating thoughtful and better product. I hope this collection is evidence of the latter.
“The Reebok Collective was created to celebrate the stories of individuals who champion and advocate for various causes and platforms. One common denominator that unites this group is our belief in the importance of individuality and mental health,” said Nicole Adriance, Director, US Brand Activation, Reebok. “We’re so proud to bring this group and Justin Mensinger together to create an incredibly unique collection that advocates for a topic we all feel passionate about.”
“I wanted the pieces in this collection to tie together cohesively but also have their own unique look and feel. Each piece of clothing that previously held someone’s energy and style came together to create a new story and new garment that someone else can enjoy,” said Justin Mensinger. “With the inspirational quotes gathered from our Reebok Collective members I was able to add messages that are universal reminders to each of us. I can’t wait for the world to see this collection.”
Be sure to check out the “Pieces of Us” capsule auction on Charitybuzz in January. For more information on the collection, visit https://www.reebok.com/us/blog.
UNLESS Collective: If Streetwear Becomes More Sustainable Does the Audience Care?
I recently shared a post about Unless Collective. A company creating fashion that is biodegradable. It’s important to take note of companies who have made a decision to stop creating more fast fashion which ends up in a landfill. Reebok x Mensinger is a small collection. It has to be. Justin is working independently to create this capsule for charity. It’s extremely difficult for one person to build a fall line of ready-to-wear apparel distributed through a bevy of retailers. To be honest, that doesn’t need to be the routine anymore. What should be happening is a bevy of creators should be remaking what already exists.
This is obviously an optimistic point of view, because scaling a company makes people rich and corporations and publicly held companies are in the business of getting rich (which lends credence to Reebok doing this for authenticity, but why be negative?). In a time where brands are doing what’s trendy and cool to capture an audience enamored with clout and flexing for the gram, at least if the brand is going to chase the drip, they should do so as responsibly as possible and having a focus on mental and physical health is definitely needed. Use the link at the head of this post to read more about this collaboration and to see the clothes available in the auction.