Upcycled Clothing Online: Why I Choose These Designers

What I like about upcycled fashion is seeing what someone can do with an old piece of clothing. You look at a jacket that was probably quite ordinary before, and now it is something you would never have imagined. Sometimes you can still see the original in it. Sometimes you really can't.

At GRÜNWASCHEN, upcycling is one part of a wider selection of independent designer clothing, jewellery and accessories. We have a shop in Berlin, but you can also explore and buy the selection online. And when I choose upcycled pieces for the store, it is usually the design that first makes me stop and look.

Explore Raw & Upcycled in the online shop

An old garment can become something quite unexpected

Upcycled clothing starts with existing clothes or materials, which are transformed into a new piece. The interesting part for me is how far that transformation can go.

It can be distressed denim, bleached surfaces, a completely different shape. Some pieces become almost like sculptures. Of course, newly made clothes can look phenomenal too. But I find it a bit crazy that someone can take a plain jacket and see the possibility of something so different in it.

There is also the character of the material itself: the colour, the texture, the traces of how it has been worn. Those differences are part of what I like about one-of-a-kind clothing. You can use a similar idea again, but recreating exactly the same result is another thing.

And each designer sees a different possibility. That is probably the part I enjoy most when putting the selection together.

Different designers see different things

ATELIER J.SANTANA

With ATELIER J.SANTANA, denim is a big part of the story. I like seeing how a fabric that most of us wear all the time can become something with such a particular shape and texture.

The Wrecked Denim Pants have an hourglass motif made with threads across distressed blue denim. The Blue Dragon Bomber combines denim with used kimono fabric. Quite different pieces, but you can see a recognisable approach in both.

See the ATELIER J.SANTANA selection.

Azul Ballestero

Azul Ballestero makes me think more about tailoring. Old blazers, trousers, the shapes we associate with a suit, taken apart or changed into something else. That is the side of the work I am especially drawn to, even though the collection also includes denim and knitwear.

The “Core” Bomber Blazer is a good example. It looks like a blazer, then the ribbed cuffs at the sleeves and waist make you think of a bomber jacket. You recognise both, but the combination has its own character.

Explore Azul Ballestero.

Couture Reloaded

Couture Reloaded takes me in another direction again. There is more of that high-fashion feeling, and I like how existing clothes become a starting point for all sorts of ideas.

Take the Bad Girl Maxi Dress: a T-shirt top, a layered skirt and a waist belt. A familiar everyday piece becomes part of something much more dramatic. It is this kind of transformation that makes me curious about reworked clothing.

See what we have from Couture Reloaded.

“Something special” means different things to different people

I think the people drawn to GRÜNWASCHEN usually appreciate art and craftsmanship, and want to wear something particular. But that can mean very different things.

For someone, it is a huge bomber jacket with shoulders so wide that getting through a doorway almost becomes a question. For someone else, it is an electric-blue top with a brooch. Both can be the special piece in someone's wardrobe.

That is why I like having very wearable clothes next to more experimental ones. You can appreciate what went into a garment and still choose it simply because you love how it looks.

The care behind the work matters to me too: the relationship with the material, with existing clothes and with the people involved. That is something I want to keep present in what I choose for the store.

You can discover these pieces online

The selection comes together in our Berlin shop, but you don't have to come to Berlin to find a piece you want to wear. If you are looking for upcycled clothing online, start with Raw & Upcycled, or browse the whole store for other independent designers and approaches.

We deliver within Germany and to selected international destinations. You can find the current details in our shipping information.