A purse from a coffee bag, a backpack from a banner, an earring from a nylon bag: upcycling adds value to recycling, the point is to make a new product from rubbish that is worth much more than the raw material itself. This practice is becoming increasingly popular among designers because it allows them to create not only conscious but unique and exciting things. In our selection today, we present five brands from Eastern Europe that work exclusively with garbage.
Coffewear | Hungary
Coffewear, with its suggestive name, is a small, slow fashion company in Budapest that makes cool and durable wallets, bags, beauty bags, cases and backpacks from recycled packaging. Following the principle of nothing is rubbish, only waste is used as raw material, such as coffee bags, coffee capsules or plastic packaging, thus reducing plastic pollution.
Remesh | Romania
Sustainable development, circular economy and solidarity: these are the keywords that characterize the Remesh brand. Old banners are used to create bags, backpacks, bike-related and other accessories, but the business not only gives banners a second chance, but people as well. The workers here come from disadvantaged backgrounds, mainly women, mothers with many children who have been victims of domestic violence, and homeless people or people with disabilities. As part of a two-year program, they can learn the tailoring profession and also receive help to reintegrate into the world of work.
Borbála Ferencz | Hungary
Everyone already knows that recycling is environmentally friendly, but Borbála Ferencz also proved that this approach can create a new kind of aesthetic value. Recomposing second-hand clothes, Borbála creates her colorful and extravagant clothes with patchwork technique. There are also accessories besides bold clothes: by melting plastic caps and bags, she also creates exciting and unique jewelry.
Regalia | Poland
The Regalia manufactory in Poland is giving new life to houses doomed to demolition. Saving wood and brick, they make beautiful furniture: a table, a bookshelf, a bed, a closet, kitchen furniture, or even doors. The uniqueness of the end result is given by the special color and texture of the ripe wood.
Golub Upcycled Denim Project | Ukraine
Less consumption and more awareness, this is the creed of the Ukrainian Golub brand. As eco-punks, their mission is to prove that recycled clothes can also be as good as the pieces presented on the catwalks. They use vintage denim for their bold clothes, making each piece by hand, so the end result will be a conscious, sustainable and unrepeatable piece.
Coffewear | Web | Facebook | Instagram
Remesh | Web | Facebook
Ferencz Borbála | Web | Facebook | Instagram
Regalia | Web | Facebook
Golub Upcycled Denim Project | Web | Facebook | Instagram
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Eastern European accessory and bag overview | TOP 5
