Fashion upcycling is the hottest new trend

Aelita Salamatsina, co-founder of Limelight Nova, Luxury Fashion Concierge specializing in high fashion and global sourcing of rare designer items and luxury goods, shares the latest trends and fashion tips. MilanoStyle.com has partnered with Limelight Nova as a global sourcing partner for luxury items from Milan.

Manufacturing clothes out of vintage materials and creating stylish looks is a completely new wave in Fashion right now! The trend has been embraced by many luxury brands as well as emerging contemporary designers. From RE/DONE to Miu Miu, brands offer stylish upcycled jeans, coats, dresses and many more. This is so cool and so new, that we all can tacitly declare – we are sustainable and trendy at the same time!

This method of upcycled clothing is quite simple and starts by transforming old, worn out or damaged materials into fresh and trendy new items. It can also be beautifully called a “repurposed” clothing, making it even more attractive especially in the contemporary fashion world. It’s a great, sustainable process, and it’s so cool that brands are into it, allowing old clothes to stay in circulation and not end up in a landfill.

And here is our list of the foremost brands and their hot upcycled items:

1. Levi’s X Valentino

Valentino and Levi’s have partnered up to create gorgeous indigo-blue jeans made from upcycled 1970s Levi’s vintage denim. This collection is a re-edition of the 517 bootcut style released in 1969. Designed for both men and women, Valentino’s Levi’s 517 embody equality, timeless design, and inclusive aesthetics. The collaboration was especially successful because it unites culture, history, and elegance, creating a feeling that reflects different moments in time, but is still relevant for today.

2. Levi’s X Miu Miu

photo: @xeniaadonts

Xenia Adonts wearing upcycled Levi’s X Miu Miu jacket and jeans

Well, yes, Levi’s is quite popular these days and not only Valentino has recently partnered with them. The new collection beautifully blends classic pre-loved Levi’s denim with pretty Miu Miu’s signature details: embroidery and crystals. Joyful and bright collection is made up of denim jacket, shorts, and jeans, giving us the pleasure of choice. Denim jackets were especially hot this Summer and many bloggers were wearing them. 

3. Reformation

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A post shared by Reformation (@reformation)

photo: @reformation

Reformation is probably one of the best-known luxury fashion brands that upcycle. Based in Los Angeles, the company produces clothes from low-impact materials, rescued deadstock fabrics, and repurposed vintage items. The creative use of these eco-friendly materials has made them particularly successful in creating sexy and sophisticated summer dresses as well as memorable wedding gowns.

4. Bettter.us

photo: https://bettter.us

This incredibly modern, masculine and daring brand is a creation of Julie Pelipas, Fashion Director of Vogue Ukraine. Julie has become especially famous for wearing extraordinary masculine suits, which marked the beginning of her cutting-edge fashion brand. The uniqueness of bettter.us is in a new approach to styling. It develops sets of 3 to 5 matching pieces, making looks to be visually stronger and easier to create. The brand thoroughly sources every garment in second-hand markets and deadstock throughout the world. 

5. RE/DONE

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A post shared by Alex Rivière (@ariviere)

photo: @ariviere
Alex Rivière wearing RE/DONE jeans

It’s time to get to know another brand that draws inspiration from vintage Levi’s as well.
RE/DONE has started with the concept of upcycling Levi’s denim into trendy new styles without the use of harsh chemicals. The brand’s statistic is astonishing as it has diverted more than 145,000 items from landfills and transformed them into coveted luxury goods. RE/DONE is very popular among fashion bloggers and can be seen quite often on Instagram.

6. Rave Review

photo: @cajsawessberg

Rave Review is a sustainable brand from Stockholm, founded by Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück in 2017. The brand is especially well known for its use of sustainable materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. Designers upcycle items, which they find at vintage stores and from private sellers online. It’s amazing to see how beautifully this brand combines pre-existing garments and innovative shapes, evoking nostalgia and inspiring desire to own it. 

7. Balenciaga 

photo: www.Balenciaga.com

Shoelace embroidery fur coat

Let’s round out our list of cool sustainable brands with one of the most powerful and well-known brands, Balenciaga. The brand has also gone big on upcycling and claims that 93% of materials in the collection are certified sustainable or upcycled. It’s also cool, that Balenciaga creates most of the items for both for women and men in unisex style. And this beautiful shoelace embroidery fur coat is a great example of an upcycled coat, that looks stylish and powerful at the same time. 

Such unique items are very often on a long waiting list, and once launched, they become sold-out in a matter of seconds. It’s clear that upcycling is becoming a ‘new normal’ for fashion and this is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. Being not just a trend but rather a way of life, it’s our privilege to inspire others to be more environmentally conscious and feel cool about it.

About the author:
Aelita Salamatsina is the co-founder of Limelight Nova, one of the first Luxury Fashion Concierge companies in Europe, specializing in luxury fashion and global sourcing of rare designer items and luxury goods. Limelight Nova provides services to some of the most prominent international celebrities and VIP clients.

Since its foundation in 2008, the company has built a reputation for sourcing exceptionally rare luxury items for clients with impeccable taste. With offices in London and Monaco, Limelight Nova has built a reliable, worldwide supplier network providing their clients quality acquisition services for the most desired products.

MilanoStyle.com has partnered with Limelight Nova as a global sourcing partner for luxury items from Milan.

Are you looking for hard to find luxury items? Contact info@limelightnova.com

Featured image: Valentino Press