The New Brands at the Forefront of the Trashion Movement

What is “trashion?” And what are the brands to know in this new fashion movement, which focuses on upcycling and recycling to create apparel and accessories out of everything from plastic to fishing nets? Our correspondent Julie Chang Murphy has curated a list of the 10 brands to know who are crafting sustainable, eco-friendly fashion on the forefront of the growing trashion movement.

what is “trashion”?

There’s something post-apocalyptic and avant garde about the term “trashion.” Doesn’t it just scream 2020?

For the uninitiated, trashion refers to apparel and accessories created from discarded fabrics, dead stock and other re-purposed materials.

Novices may now be imagining clothing with wildly mismatched colors in sharp and uncomfortable angles, with hints of alloy and aluminum. Like something you might piece together once a year for Burning Man or Halloween. But definitely not for everyday.

Well, buckle up. Because there are many new and upcoming brands that are upending this image for good. These are everyday clothes: jeans, outerwear, sneakers, and yoga pants all made from common items in the landfill like plastic bottles, fishing nets, coffee grinds and yes, even tires.  

trashion is a growing movement in commercial fashion

Those odd materials tend to garner at lot of headlines. But it’s important to know that the primary resource going into these clothing lines is textile waste and old clothes.

Dear reader, the numbers are scary. The Council for Textile Recycling reports that more than 70 pounds of textiles per U.S. citizen are going into landfills annually. That means over 21 BILLION pounds in this year alone.

Wait. There’s more bad news. That number does not even take into account the amount of waste coming from textile factories. Because supply chains are so complex that there are no outside agencies tracking the information.

But change is coming.

The New Brands to know at the Forefront of the Trashion Movement

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Yet no one will use those inventions if they’re not attractive. So we’re doing our part to research the most stylish “trashion” options on the market right now that you might actually want to wear. Meet 10 brands that caught our eye for both their style and their environmentally-conscious ethos.

1. Zero Waste Daniel

Daniel Silverstein is disrupting fashion norms with his radical brand, Zero Waste Daniel. The collections are made by his team in Brooklyn entirely from pre-consumer waste sourced from New York City’s garment industry. The unisex, made-to-order casual wear is also often made from hard-to-recycle materials (some sourced directly from sanitation trucks) and decommissioned Sanitation Department goods, such as tents and tablecloths.

If you’re feeling skeptical, consider Silverstein’s words: “You only see trash if you choose to. I am able to look at these little scraps every day and say, ‘You’re going to leave here as something beautiful and not in a garbage bag.” Love. It.

2. EXKITE

Just how many used kites are out there to be able to turn into clothing? Turns out quite a lot, according to former pro kiteboarder, Renzo Mancini, founder of the luxury trashion apparel brand Exkite. The Italian company joins the ranks of outdoor apparel makers who are using recycled materials to make one-of-a-kind jackets.

The bright and colorful kite fabrics are well suited for apparel, as they come in a variety of different weights and can withstand the elements. Real talk: there’s just something innately cool about wearing a jacket made out of a kiteboarding sails. We’re in.

3. Christy Dawn

Former model turned LA-based designer Christy Dawn rescues deadstock fabric and repurposes it for her eponymous line of vintage-inspired clothes. “Deadstock” is the left-over fabric that results when fashion houses overestimate their needs. Traditionally, brands would hold on to the excess for a few seasons before sending them to landfills.

Now, they have a useful life after all. Christy Dawn uses her handpicked choices for small production runs – often only making one or two elegant dresses in a specific fabric or print.

4. RE/DONE

If you love the idea of wearing vintage jeans to reduce waste, but the fit leaves something to be desired, RE/DONE is an innovative luxury label and recycling an upcycling brand whose mission is to give you the best of both worlds.

The brand handpicks vintage Levi’s, maintaining qualities like frayed pockets, whiskered effects, torn knees, faded denim. They then re-purpose the garments into modern fits that are distinctly one-of-a-kind.

5. Bug Clothing

The Bug clothing brand was founded in East London by Amy Ward with the belief that clothing should be comfortable and purposeful, without sacrificing style. The materials are all deadstock from designer factory waste.

Workers cut and re-construct the discarded fabrics in the label’s studio in Wales. The resulting collections have a simple aesthetic and classic color scheme that can stay in the wearer’s closet for seasons to come.

6. ECOALF

Spanish clothing label ECOALF was born out of frustration with the excessive use of the world’s natural resources and the amount of waste produced by industrialized countries. The brand is constantly engaged in investing in R + D to deploy the best quality materials and fabrics with the most sustainable manufacturing processes.

You’ll find minimalist cropped jackets for women and men made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. Flip-flops created out of powder made from ground tires. And creamy, casual sweatshirts made with recycled cottons. There is also a children’s line, so the whole family can get in on the European design-awarded apparel.

7. Girlfriend Collective

It’s easy to love and support the Seattle-based activewear trashion brand Girlfriend Collective. Even if you know nothing about what the leggings and sports bras are made of, their use of diverse models and body-positive campaigns are a bright spot in the wellness industry.

Look past their gorgeous color assortment and you’ll find soft, compression leggings made from fishing nets or recycled plastic bottles. Tees are made with cupro yarn, a regenerated cellulose fiber, that is 100% biodegradable.

8. Tonlé

Rachel Faller, founder of Tonlé, wants to fight back against some of the fashion industry’s biggest ills: textile waste and unjust labor practices. Her company, based in Cambodia, uses scrap waste sourced from mass clothing manufacturers and uses every last thread to create modern, feminine clothing. Cambodian women who are paid a fair wage are 100% of the employee base.

9. Thousand Fell

If you’re still on the hunt for a perfect white kicks, check out Thousand Fell, a new, recyclable brand of sneakers. While it may appear to be leather, don’t be fooled. It’s actually post-consumer plastic, coated with bio-resin made from corn waste. The rest of its parts almost sound good enough to eat.

Plant-based rubber soles, plastic components made from coconut husk and sugar cane fiber, and foam made from castor bean oil. Once a customer is finished with their sneaker, the company will refurbish it for donations or reuse the raw materials.

10. Outerknown

What guy doesn’t envy the effortlessly cool vibe of pro-surfer Kelly Slater? He is one of the co-founders of eco-friendly, surf inspired brand, Outerknown.

Over 90% of the brand’s fabrics are organic, recycled, or regenerated. Particularly cool? The Econyl fabric is composed of recycled fishing nets and nylon surplus. It’s used in premium nylon jackets and board shorts.

the fashion brands to know in the growing trashion movement

The trashion movement is clearly more than a clever buzzword. We think it represents a new paradigm of thinking about fashion and style. At its best, it is more than what you wear but what you choose to be a part of. And hey – in this case, even your mom would surely say that it’s good to be “trash-y.”

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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, and fitness. Julie lives in New York where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing. And spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.

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