Upcycling, the art of revalorizing

What is Upcycling ?

The basic principle of upcycling is to create with what already exists. It is about reusing and transforming in order to give a second life to a material that is no longer used. At Fabrique Z, our clothes are made largely from vintage fabrics made in Canada. We believe that the quality of local and sustainable know-how deserves a second life.

The difference between new, recycled and upcycled fabric ?

New fabric : The manufacturing of a fabric involves several steps; the fiber must be cultivated, transformed into thread and woven. Then the fabric will often undergo other transformations in order to give it a color or a pattern. This process involves the work of several humans and the material must travel many kilometers between each step.

Recycled fabric : In this case, the exploitation of natural resources is avoided. On the other hand, the manufacturing stages are no less numerous. It is necessary to collect post-consumer materials that can be recycled, treat them and transform them. It would be very naive to think that all these stages do not have an impact on the environment. Indeed, a significant consumption of water, energy and chemicals is necessary before arriving at the final product.

Upcycled Fabric : You see where I'm going with this... By avoiding the production of new textiles, it is possible to reduce the environmental impact of a garment to almost zero. (Yay) Taking my thinking further, I thought it would be relevant to raise the ethical aspect. While it is quite easy to trace the environmental impact of the manufacturing of a fabric, it is difficult to really know the working conditions of the humans who worked for the production of these textiles.

In addition, by shopping at second-hand stores like Friperie Renaissance , purchases change the lives of thousands of people each year, since 100% of the revenue generated supports a job integration program.

Why Upcycling ?

Although consumer interest in second-hand items is increasing, a significant amount of the donations collected are not finding buyers and end up in landfills.

Upcycling allows us to revalue and demonstrate that it is possible to make something new out of something old and stands out from any other manufacturing process because it is possible to restore value, simply by letting your creativity flourish. With a view to sustainable development, this practice limits the environmental impact in addition to promoting the circular and local economy.