Sustainable Fashion: Introduction to Upcycling

Upcycling is a form of reusing and demonstrates a social commitment. Today, due to the environmental problems generated by the fashion industry, new techniques and trends have emerged to create amazing and unique garments responsibly. Ximena Corcuera is a fashion designer who seeks to make people aware of the possibilities offered by upcycling and using sustainable materials instead of generic ones. With years of experience and learning, and having collaborated with big names in fashion such as Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, in this course Ximena teaches you how to create garments with pieces of fabric, making new use of materials that would otherwise be considered disposable.

She teaches you the importance of joining this movement. Learn some of the most important facts about the environmental impact of the fashion industry, as well as new options to create sustainable fashion. Practice an upcycling technique with fabric that allows you to create your own garments, promoting a circular economy.

Meet Ximena and learn how life led her to fashion design almost without realizing it. She eventually decided to focus her full attention on it, and in 2018 she launched her brand, which is a space where she combines all of her interests, visions, and experience in sustainable fashion. Learn about her main inspiration for researching and developing zero-waste proposals.

Discover some of the most important facts about the environmental impact of the fashion industry and the main developments in order to raise awareness about it. Get to know the characteristics of sustainable materials and understand why cotton is part of one of the most harmful processes for the environment, and open your eyes to more responsible alternatives such as organic and recycled cotton, as well as other innovative materials. In addition, discover new manufacturing techniques and processes that are emerging as points of interest to create sustainable fashion.

Ximena explains the process of upcycling fabric step by step. Go over the details of the materials you need to give new life to old garments, and then focus on designing your piece and analyzing the combinations of materials and colors.

Prepare the materials and molds to create different woven pieces, transforming them through cuts and knots. Once the materials are ready, learn all the phases to make the basic fabric to later weave each piece and join them to produce the final result—a garment. These techniques can be replicated with different types of textile waste, as well as tighter or looser weaves, to achieve different results. The idea is to get to know the tool so that you can experiment freely.

To finish, learn what to keep in mind when washing your piece. In addition, as inspiration, take a look at different pieces made with this technique to learn about the possibilities it offers, along with other techniques that you can explore to continue your journey in the world of sustainable fashion.

Make a sweater by applying a weaving technique inspired by upcycling to make a new garment from old ones.

This course is for anyone who is interested in sustainable fashion and manual and creative processes, and anyone who wants to get started with a technique to create incredible pieces by deconstructing others.

No prior knowledge is necessary but having a little experience with pattern making and weaving will make it easier for you to follow along with the course.

Regarding the materials, you need fabric scissors, a sheet of manila paper, masking tape, a pencil, an eraser, a pencil sharpener, rulers, and old clothes that you want to use in your project (6 to 12 garments that have spandex or lycra, such as leggings, socks , sweatshirts, t-shirts, pants, etc.).