Upcycling has arrived at the heart of the fashion industry. Some of the industry’s most popular fashion labels build their success on recycling leftover, unused or discarded materials. Here we present some young labels that have dedicated themselves to the concept of upcycling.
openings
About openings: “Vernisse is a brand with a timeless soul and a contemporary attitude. A modern elegance that maintains attention to tailored details, rich fabrics, embroidery and unique prints.”
Target group: “Vernisse appeals to an international audience and is rapidly building a global community of strong and proud women who are romantic and deep-rooted. The target audience is very diverse, ranging from very young women who are already trained to buy less but better, to older women who recognize the quality and portability of the brand.”
Dealer/Distribution: “Vernisse works with a b2b direct strategy: Trunk Shows throughout Italy and Europe and the Milan Atelier where clients have access to the ‘Made to Order’ service. We are currently at Modes Portofino and have just hosted a spring pop-up at the Rinascente Milano Duomo. From S/S23 we will officially present our collection to buyers during the sales campaign in Milan.”
Markets: “Our first market is currently Italy, but we also have customers in France, Germany and the United States. From FW22 we are expanding into the South Asian market via a major luxury retailer.”
Bestseller: “Each Vernisse collection is built with a long-term strategy, adding new key pieces each season. We are very strong in shirts, dresses and skirts.”
Production: “All garments are lovingly tailored and finished by hand by our expert tailors near Milan. Everything is made with the utmost care, both inside and out, and sewn with durability in mind. We mainly use the most valuable natural fibers from pure silk to wool, from velvet to cotton and linen.”
Price Points: “Vernisse is a luxury brand. The shirts cost between 390 and 470 euros. The clothes between 600 and 1000 euros.”
Contact: www.vernisse.it
Quinta Maso
About Quinta Maso: “We wanted to bring a contemporary, sustainable, gender-neutral, and most importantly, fun aspect to the cloth, an often antiquated and gender-specific product. And that is what Quinta Maso is.”
Target group: “Quinta Maso is a land of virtual sunsets in technicolour. An alternative way to experience pleasure. Its residents are literally anyone with a sense of humor. These are often people between the ages of 25 and 55, with medium to high incomes, who mainly live in capital cities and are interested in fashion, art and design. They share the same values when it comes to slow fashion and investing in quality pieces and craftsmanship.”
Production: “Our first capsule collection consists of ten different models, made in northern Italy using only natural fibers such as silk and cotton. At Quinta Maso we have a zero waste policy, which allows us to creatively repurpose leftover fabric, pattern or yarn into imaginative new products, sold in limited editions and in collaboration with young artists.”
Selling points: “We started a year ago with a strong focus on online and are slowly building relationships with retailers such as Bassal in Barcelona, Studio 183 in Berlin, Lunch concept in the UK and She Designed in Düsseldorf.”
Price Points: “On average, the prices are 150 euros, and range from 110 euros to 210 euros.”
Bestseller: “La Linea, La Forma and our latest Embellished Thin Shawls are our best-selling towels, and both of our zero-waste handbag collections sold out within days of their launch.”
Contact: [email protected]
Fateeva
Before starting her own label, Elizaveta Fateeva worked for labels such as Raf Simons, Jil Sander and Lanvin. She founded Fateeva in Vienna while working as head designer for men’s shoes at Lanvin in Paris: “I wanted to use my in-depth knowledge and experience as a designer and product developer and translate my vision into something meaningful. I was less concerned with the quantity than with the quality of the product. During the development of Fateeva and the experiences I gained after starting my brand, I realized that our generation needs to find new ways and possibilities by finding alternatives to design and produce fashion in a more sustainable way, instead of just about it to talk. After five years of designing and building Fateeva, the ups and downs of the pandemic, I have found new ways to design and manufacture garments and accessories by being totally independent of outside productions and only working with over-produced materials that I outsource in Italy.”
About Fateeva: “Fateeva is a slow fashion brand that focuses on designing and creating garments and accessories, made exclusively from discarded materials, leather and fabrics, as well as small leftovers. Because we only work with tailors and small factories, we control the entire use of all materials and ensure that as much as possible is used. All pieces are unique that cannot be reproduced due to the availability of materials. Using materials that are leftover, overlooked or simply forgotten, we innovate new ways and use different techniques to turn something that seems unattractive or just plain outdated into something original.”
Target group: “Fateeva’s clientele are women and men who love durable essentials, minimalist aesthetics, functional design and craftsmanship. We tell the story of each garment, where the materials come from, how they get here and why we use them the way we do.”
Specialist dealers and sales agencies: “Fateeva currently only sells online as working with deadstock materials is very challenging. The amount of pieces produced depends on the materials and quality, and is sometimes no more than five parts of fabric/colours.”
Markets: “Fateeva can deliver the orders anywhere in the world. We have clients in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, the USA and Japan.” Best Seller: “During the pandemic I started to focus on working with the small scraps of fabric that had accumulated in the studio. I developed a pattern that covers three sizes and made “One Dress A Day” using only the materials I had in the atelier. A new combination of fabrics, colors and patterns was created every day. Not only did this line become the label’s best-selling line, but it was also a big push for the label to work more and more exclusively with small leftover materials and to only use materials from stock for all lines of the brand.”
Price Points: “The price of a piece is always linked to the materials and the quantities produced. Also, we always negotiate the best price for our producers as most of the details are unique and made by private tailors. Prices for leather shoes and sneakers range from 250-400 euros per pair, for dresses from 450-1000 euros and for knitwear from 190-500 euros.”
Contact: www.fateeva.net
Re49 Shoes
About Re49 Shoes: “It was in 1949 that Valentino Masolini began recycling leftover fabrics and discarded military uniforms to make shoes. Today, his great-grandson, Nicola Masolini, uses fabrics, parasols, deckchairs and sails to make shoes. This is how Re49 was born in a small village in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.”
Target group: “Our key customers are looking for ways to incorporate sustainability into all aspects of their daily lives. They are aware of the impact the fashion industry can have on the environment. And they are also willing to pay a little more for clothing and accessories made by companies that are trying to make a difference and work towards a more sustainable future through ethical and sustainable business practices.”
Production: Last year, Nicola Masolini converted the family company’s traditional leather shoe production to a circular model. The shoes are still made in the province of Udine, in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, but with animal-free, recycled materials. The soles are made of recycled tyres, Masolini finds the outer fabrics on the beaches of Italy: sails, spinnakers and parasols are given a second life and breathe a sense of sea and vacation into the sneakers. All Re49 shoes also contain a microchip that can be used to trace the origin of the materials via blockchain technology. It is also conceivable for Masolini to produce exclusive series for retail partners from recycled materials, which are only available in limited quantities.
Selling points: “We are still working on our international sales network, new sales outlets will be set by October. Re49 shoes are currently sold primarily online and in select boutiques in Italy and the United States. Among them: Ireri in Florence, Max in Kitzbühl or Lovitactive in Dallas.”
Price Points: Sneakers 269 euros, boots 299 euros
Bestseller: Sail Lifestyle sneakers in white, Mare Lifestyle sneakers in blue, red, green, Sail Spin Tech Boots
Contact: [email protected]
This post was made with the help of Weixin Zha.