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Hello! I’m Kimura from the ApparelX Sustainable Team.
In recent years, in the apparel industry, words like “sustainable,” “recycling,” and “circular fashion” have become more common.
Among them, what we want to focus on this time is the idea of “upcycling.”
Upcycling adds new value to items that are no longer needed or materials that would otherwise be discarded, transforming them into different products or materials.
In fashion as well, there is growing use of cutting scraps, leftover fabric, and discarded food/materials generated during garment production.
This time, we will introduce what upcycling means in apparel materials, why it is attracting attention, and how it is turned into new materials through different processes.
To begin with, “upcycling” means not simply throwing away items that are no longer needed or were destined for disposal, but adding new value and transforming them into different products or materials.
In apparel, typical examples include remaking denim pants scheduled for disposal into bags, or using leftover fabric for accessories or other garments.
In the apparel industry, a wide range of materials are used, including cutting scraps generated during production, leather and synthetic leather scheduled for disposal, and by-products from other industries such as food and agriculture.
One thing to note here is the difference between “upcycling” and “recycling.”
Recycling refers to collecting and processing no-longer-needed items so they can be used again as raw material.
Upcycling, on the other hand, is the idea of adding new ideas, designs, functions, and so on, to transform something into a product with value different from the original.
Because of this, in the apparel industry there are various circular methods such as “upcycling,” “recycling,” and “T2T (Textile to Textile).”
At ApparelX too, we introduce T2T materials that reuse textile waste generated from garments and production processes as textile again.
Related blog here ▼
The background behind the attention on upcycling includes long-standing problems in the apparel industry such as mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal.
During the process of making clothes, various waste materials are generated, such as fabric that did not become a product, cutting scraps, and leftover fabric.
There are also inventories left after the season ends, as well as garments that are thrown away even though they can still be used.
By giving new value to these “still usable” items and things that could be used in a different form, it may be possible to reduce waste and make better use of resources. For that reason, sustainable thinking such as remaking, recycling, T2T, and upcycling is becoming even stronger in the apparel industry.
In addition, upcycled materials are attractive not only because they are “environmentally conscious,” but also because the materials themselves have a story.
For example, production backgrounds such as “◯◯ made by reusing textile scraps generated in the production process” or “fabric/accessories made from ◯◯ that would have been discarded” can also be used for brand product planning and sales promotions.
In recent years, as interest in sustainability has grown, it has become important to choose products while considering the background of the material as well.
How are materials that were originally supposed to be discarded transformed into new fabrics and supplies?
Although production methods vary greatly depending on the material, here are three typical patterns in a simple overview.
For leather goods and leather materials, there are methods that process discarded leather and plant-derived materials into new leather materials.
Example: finely processing and crushing discarded material → combining it with resin, etc. and processing it into sheets → using it as a new leather material
In recent years, vegan leather made from plant-derived raw materials such as apples, cacti, and grapes has also appeared, in addition to waste materials.
These materials are being used for bags, shoes, garments, and more as an alternative to conventional animal leather.
One relatively easy-to-picture method for apparel fabrics is to use discarded leftover fabric and other by-products as fiber raw materials and blend them with other fibers.
The rough flow is:
Example: discarded materials / textile waste → collection and sorting → processing such as crushing and opening fibers → into recycled fiber / recycled raw material → blend with other fibers and spin into yarn → manufacture as fabric
F EARTH®, handled by ApparelX, is also a material made by blending recycled cotton and organic cotton, with the recycled cotton coming from collected and crushed textile waste.
Also, with UNITO®, textile waste such as undyed fabric and yarn scraps generated during production is collected and regenerated into new yarn to make fabric in a T2T (Textile to Textile) initiative.
Upcycling is not only for fabrics.
For apparel accessories such as buttons, there are methods that compound discarded materials and by-products into resin and then mold them.
Example: discarded materials / by-products → finely processed → mixed with resin, etc. → heated and molded → into apparel accessories such as buttons
What is interesting about this method is that the color, shape, and texture of the material used as the raw material become part of the design’s character.
For that reason, upcycled materials can be used not only as environmentally conscious materials, but also as design materials with a look and feel that ordinary materials do not have.
Upcycled materials are highly attractive from an environmental perspective, but they are not suitable for every application.
When adopting a material, it is necessary to check strength, durability, washability, processability, and more, just as with ordinary fabric.
1. Waste and unused resources can be effectively utilized
Materials that would otherwise be discarded can be used as raw materials for new products and fabrics.
2. It may reduce the use of new resources
Using existing materials helps reduce the amount of virgin raw material used.
3. A story can be added to the material
The background itself—what it was made from and how it was transformed—becomes part of the product’s appeal.
4. You can enjoy a unique texture and appearance
By combining regenerated fibers and different materials, an uneven texture or expressive look not found in ordinary materials may be created.
On the other hand, there are also points of caution unique to upcycled materials.
1. Strength and durability require attention
Depending on the material being regenerated and processed, strength and other properties may differ from materials made with virgin raw materials. In particular, for items subject to heavy load, testing and confirmation according to the intended use are important.
2. Texture and color may vary
Depending on the condition of the collected raw materials and the lot, color and fiber condition may not be uniform.
That natural variation can also be appealing, but caution is needed for products where uniformity is required.
3. Usable items may be limited
Depending on the material, the products it can be used for may be limited for reasons such as strength, washability, and safety.
Especially for products such as baby and kids items that emphasize safety and quality standards, it is necessary to carefully confirm whether the material can be adopted.
Being a sustainable material does not mean it can be used for any product.
At the product planning stage, it is important to check the test data and quality information suited to the intended use.
Here are sustainable fabrics and accessories that have been upcycled and given a new form.
Fabric upcycled from apple juice pomace 🍎🍏
This highly durable synthetic leather can be used widely for leather outerwear and bags.
This PVC fabric is upcycled from the shells of the large bivalve horse clam 🦪
It is well known that scallop shells are upcycled into chalk for blackboards, so it is surprising that shells can now become fabric too.
The hinoki upcycling series also includes a nubuck product number and a stretch product number.
Nagai Twisting Yarn, a specialist in yarn, also offers proposals for new materials such as vegan leather. You may think, “Leather from a yarn company?” but based on the technology and network it has built over many years handling industrial sewing thread and thread for leather products, it is expanding its proposals into the materials field.
Other upcycled leather product numbers from Nagai Twisting Yarn can also be viewed here.
Fabric upcycled from collected coffee husks scheduled for disposal and used as dye ☕
The natural texture of coffee dye also pairs well with natural fibers.
This washer fabric has a natural feel while still avoiding being too casual.
It also has stretch, snag resistance, and strong resistance to abrasion, making it an easy material to propose for daily wear and office casual styles.
Reflax® oxford stretch using some PET bottle-derived raw material.
With a dry touch, sweat absorption and quick drying, breathability, UV shielding, and stretch, it is recommended for spring and summer daily wear.
A tropical fabric made with recycled nylon resin “REAMIDE,” upcycled from collected discarded fishing nets.
With a high wool content, it is an elegant sustainable fabric recommended for sets as well.
Mesh fabric made with recycled nylon resin “REAMIDE,” upcycled from collected discarded fishing nets.
It is a sustainable material perfect for sportswear and outdoor items.
Buttons and cord stoppers are also available, so you can coordinate the accessories as well.
We explain Morito’s discarded fishing net series in detail on the blog, so please take a look.
▶Eco material born from discarded fishing nets! The appeal of Morito’s fishing net recycled nylon
The uneven texture and neps created by recycled cotton can also be used as part of the design appeal, making it perfect for vintage-like sweatshirts and hoodies.
