Fashion is, arguably, all about renewal. Every season designers turn out collections based on their visions for imagined futures. From these designs, we patchwork together new personas and identities; with that comes a sense of belonging. The concept of recycled clothing, therefore, comes charged with potential.
In recognition of Global Recycling Day (which is today, March 18) the Dalston locale and cult fashion platform, LN-CC, has launched four consciously-minded projects with the intention of reconfiguring our relationship with waste. First up is ARCHIVE 09, an exclusive collaboration between New York-based designer Nicole Mclaughlin and hiking label Roa Andreas, who have come together to create eight pairs of boots designed for a “rave in the mountains”. Think glow-sticks, carabiners, and tiny pouches made for carrying, well, whatever it is you’d bring to a rave.
Then, following on from last year’s much coveted capsule, there’s the second Repurposed collection from Pringle of Scotland, giving us one-of-a-kind knitwear reworked from vintage Pringle clothes and fabrics. It’s all about repaving the past to build a brighter future – a concept which is also championed by DRx and Parsons-graduate Deborah Meirelles Azevedo, who have been collaborating on monthly drops for LN-CC. This time round, the duo are upcycling deadstock mens shirts into patchwork quilting. And then, last but not least, is the duet between (di)vision (a Copenhagen-based conscious label) and Carhartt, who are releasing 49 unique pieces on the LN-CC site, created from pre-existing Carhartt items.
With these projects, not only is LN-CC driving an operationally sustainable business, but it’s teasing the borders and boundaries of what recycled clothing represents, challenging our perceptions around waste, and transforming the old into something wholly recharged and renewed.
All collections are now shoppable on the LN-CC website. Take a look through the gallery above to see what’s in store.