3.4

Turning Textile Waste into New Clothes and Products

For this step, we’ve gathered a list of upcycling fashion and textile examples. This is by no means a complete list, and there are many more resources online if you’re interested in exploring this topic further.

Upcycling of textiles is a design and manufacturing technique where fabric scraps, old garments, or textile waste are fundamentally repurposed into brand-new apparel or goods. This method addresses the problem of massive textile pollution by giving materials a second life and avoids the intensive resources required for traditional recycling or manufacturing new cloth.

Global textile waste production reached 92 million tonnes annually as of 2023 data. Production more than doubled between 2000 and 2015, while the duration of garment use decreased. Meanwhile, recycled fibers accounted for only 8% of all textile materials in 2023.

Alterlife, Pune, India

Alterlife sees waste as potential, honoring materials by transforming them into consciously designed products. Their mission is to create artful utility while empowering women through dignified work, inviting people into a slower, more mindful way of living.

Preloved, Toronto, Canada

Preloved is a Canadian slow-fashion brand that upcycles vintage clothing, like sweaters, and combines it with deadstock fabrics to create unique garments. Since 1995, they have diverted over a million items from landfill, emphasizing sustainability and local manufacturing.

Zero Waste Daniel, Brooklyn, USA

Zero Waste Daniel is a New York-based brand and pioneer in ‘reroll’ fashion. Daniel Silverstein takes pre-consumer textile scraps, often from New York City’s garment industry, and stitches them into new flat fabric mosaics. The company creates genderless clothing and accessories, ensuring its process sends nothing to landfills and pays fair wages.

Traditional Swedish Rag Rugs

Rag rugs became a Swedish floor-covering tradition in the 19th century, utilizing all discarded textiles. They were initially used for holidays but became widespread after 1850. While interest once declined, knowledge is now passed on through weaving houses, courses, and social media, ensuring the craft endures.

Further reading, learning and references

UN Environment Programme – Unsustainable fashion and textiles in focus for International Day of Zero Waste 2025 https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/unsustainable-fashion-and-textiles-focus-international-day-zero

Alterlife https://www.alterlifeindia.com/about-us

Preloved https://getpreloved.com/pages/how-we-do-it

Zero Waste Daniel https://zerowastedaniel.com/pages/about

Levande kulturarv – Rag Rugs https://levandekulturarv.se/in-english/the-inventory/submissions/rag-rugs

© Daniel Mossberg, CEMUS, Uppsala University and Sonali Phadke, studio Alternatives and Stephanie Foote