UPCYLED FASHION – Putting A Modern Day Twist On Dated Closet Clutterers

Our closets may be packed to the gills with fashion options, but friends, siblings and even our own inner voices constantly sniff, “Booooo-hoooo, I have nothing to wear!” Let’s get real, fellow wardrobe whiners. We all have plenty of stuff to hang on our bones, but constantly changing trends render us pouty and impossibly satisfied with the very same clothing choices that seemed super-stylin’ just a few short months ago. This endless phenomenon of cheerful satisfaction followed by general wardrobe revulsion compels us to purge our closets of outdated, not-so-hip fashions and turn toward retail stores for suitable replacements. But, do any of us really want or need to feed the endless cycle of consumer culture?!?

You may be surprised to learn that it is a lot more earth-friendly to use pre-existing fabrics that have already gone through the manufacturing process instead of buying brand new cotton garments. Conventionally-grown cotton is one of the highest water crops, plus it accounts for 25% of the agricultural pesticides produced globally at a cost of nearly $2.6 billion each year. Cotton’s entire field-to-final product lifecycle is wrought with high energy consumption and eco-issues that have vastly compromised the health of our land, water ways, and wildlife.

Those of us navigating a greener journey in our lives can take heart in the fact that “upcycling” turns old threads into new to you threads with just a little inspiration, creativity and elbow grease. Take a tour through your closet and you’ll see that there are countless garments just begging to be given CPR. You could easily donate them to a thrift store and earn yourself a respectable green halo, but have you ever considered reworking them into entirely unique items that become the envy of every kid on the block?  If you’re craving a visual to help put you in the mood, pull up a chair and savor this mini portfolio of designs created by Arizona-based fashion upcycling visionary, Angela Johnson. Using a vast collection of thrifted and scavenged button down shirts and graphic tees, she breaks the pieces down into fabric swaths and transforms those raw materials into re-imagined, personality-packed wearable art.  These designs may not be suitable for the office, but…thank God we have weekends!

Every outfit in Johnson's line is a unique, one-of-a-kind original that is crafted out of "whatever t-shirts can be scavenged at the time (the garments) are made." 

They range in price from $80 for simple bubble dresses all the way up to $400 for more elaborate ball gowns, whether you provide your own t-shirts, supply half the t-shirts/request that Angela supply the other half, or you ask Angela to wing it entirely with her own supplies.

Customers have multiple customization options to choose from depending on the garment that is purchased, including a vast range of color choices and logo choices.

She breaks t-shirt logo selections down into categories, such as funny/humorous, “vices” (like drinking, smoking, sex, etc.), sports, cities/states/countries, animals, music, and religious themes.

Additionally, you can elect to have her "use any logos," or ask her to make the final product "fun and funny."

One thing is for sure -- you'll never again walk into a party and run the risk of seeing a cloned outfit!