Sew Last Season is the brainchild of London designer Elena Garcia. The label specialises in “upcycling” and providing sustainable solutions to the waste generated by the fashion industry.
What is Upcycling?
"Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value."
The term upcycling was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, authors of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.
What does Sew Last Season do?
We use discarded garments, such as office shirts or excess production from garment retailers and customise them, using our textile knowledge and skills in order to turn the wasted garments into valuable limited edition pieces. We produce the "upcycled garments" locally with the help of local textile workers and social enterprises, providing training and opportunities to people in the local communities. At present we work with the HEBA Women’s Project in Brick Lane, London, and have plans to collaborate with the Working Chance Community Project, a local charity that aims to re-insert women in society after they have been in prison.
The current collection features a range of 7 recycled shirt designs with applied surface textiles and low-impact dyeing. A Sew Last Season shirt retails for £80. The label plans to go into womenswear and is currently working with high street retailers to upcycle their excess production and customer returns.