This week I ran into a new name for what I do: "refashioning." A post on Creating a Green World called "5 Fabulous Refashion Ideas for Summer" used it to mean taking old clothes or other wearables and transforming them into something new.
"Wait, how is that different from upcycling?" was my first thought. Or "repurposing"? I've also seen posts about "reclaiming" items for a "second life." Here's my first stab at untangling these terms.
"Upcycling" means transforming trash into something fun, cool or useful. Examples include lanterns from glass jars, purses from aluminum can flip-tops, wallets from potato chip wrappers, and bracelets with paper beads made from glossy magazine pages.
You know you're on the verge of upcycling when you tear open a new sheet set and think, "Boy, I bet I could do something cool with this clear, zippered pouch!" Source materials aren't usually the most valuable -- unrecycleable plastic, paper, aluminum. The advantage of upcycling is that you're reducing the amount of stuff that goes into a landfill, at least for awhile. The disadvantage is that the stuff tends to pile up in your house until you find a use for it or you appear on "Hoarders."
"Refashioning" means turning old clothes, tablecloths or bedding into the latest fashions; it often involves sewing. Examples include totes made from old t-shirts, skirts from old sheets, and cinch sacks from men's dress shirts.
Often, the motive behind refashioning is to honor a favorite outdated outfit or honor a fabulous vintage thrift-shop find. Advantages: the materials are better-quality (much better than the cheap fabrics used in new made-in-China clothes) and give you an excuse to shop. Disadvantages: see "hoarding" above!
"Repurposing," a more general term, means making something serve a purpose it wasn't designed for. It may be new or used. In this necklace, for instance, I used new white plastic cylinders from the hardware store as beads.
"Reclaiming" is similar to "refashion," I think, but typically involves building materials rescued from old structures about to be demolished. Companies specialize in scavenging antique fixtures, wooden floors, claw-foot bathtubs from a wasteful and undignified end. I love visiting the "Re" stores in the Seattle area; I made this necklace from a faucet handle I found in one.
Advantages: Materials are often valuable and vintage. Disadvantages: They can be more costly and, unless you're handy and strong, you have to depend on someone else to reclaim the treasure.
I'll have to do some searching online to see if my definitions are on the mark. What do you think?
"Wait, how is that different from upcycling?" was my first thought. Or "repurposing"? I've also seen posts about "reclaiming" items for a "second life." Here's my first stab at untangling these terms.
"Upcycling" means transforming trash into something fun, cool or useful. Examples include lanterns from glass jars, purses from aluminum can flip-tops, wallets from potato chip wrappers, and bracelets with paper beads made from glossy magazine pages.
"Refashioning" means turning old clothes, tablecloths or bedding into the latest fashions; it often involves sewing. Examples include totes made from old t-shirts, skirts from old sheets, and cinch sacks from men's dress shirts.
"Repurposing," a more general term, means making something serve a purpose it wasn't designed for. It may be new or used. In this necklace, for instance, I used new white plastic cylinders from the hardware store as beads.
I'll have to do some searching online to see if my definitions are on the mark. What do you think?