2023

JANINA LEWITZ: CHALLENGES OF UPCYCLING STRATEGIES IN THE GARMENT INDUSTRIES

Janina Lewitz looks at the possibilities for implementing upcycling fashion in an industrial context, questions a realistic implementation for high-turnover companies and examines its meaningfulness in the face of greenwashing as well as the economic added value.

Accompanied by excessive consumption in today‘s throwaway society, it is inevitable to look at alternative design approaches to reduce textile waste in the face of the strong growth of fast fashion. One possible answer is post-consumer upcycling, which aims to ensure the reuse of existing resources. But can post-consumer upcycling fashion be implemented in the competitive and sales-driven fashion industry? A wide variety of companies have already tackled the issue, suggesting that post-consumer upcycling in the industry is a challenge that brings individual advantages and disadvantages.