What is Recycled Fashion?

According to the Enviromental Protection Agency there is an estimated 12.4 million tons of textiles that were generated in 2008 and it is estimated that the average American throws away 68 pounds of clothing each year.  Basically, there are a lot of textiles that are used each year.  Recycled fashion means that in a small way we reduce the amount of waste associated with this culture of fast fashion. 

Most of the clothing that is disposed of each year is still very wearable, but it is thrown out simply because it is out of style, old, or we are just tired of it; however, recycled fashion uses the perfectly good textiles and re-works them into up to date styles.  This is otherwise known as upcycling.  Besides for being extremely eco-friendly, this form of production allows us to use fabrics in vintage garments that have exceptional quality.

Why Recycled Fashion?

1)  By re-using textiles that are many times considered trash, in a small way, we are helping to eliminate waste. 

2)  Rather than producing more fabrics and ensuring their production process is ethical we can ensure fair trade practices by simply re-using textiles rather than producing more.

 3)  Vintage fabrics many times offer a wonderful quality and look that is difficult to find in modern textiles.

Liz Alig and Recycled Fashion

All clothing by Liz Alig is made from 100% recycled materials.  This means that each piece was previously anything from t-shirts to wedding dresses.  They are then washed thoroughly, de-constructed, and re-construced into a completely new garment.  Many of the designs by Liz Alig are made out of upcycled t-shirts and jeans because there are a lot of these garments to be recycled, because of this we can mass produce the same end product.  However, becuase there are also some great vintage prints to be upcycled, Liz Alig also designs several one of a kind pieces were the silhouette is the same, but the fabrics are different.