Fashion recycling matters. 

So far we have come across RECYCLED.LV pieces several time here at Practical Queen AP. Moreover, the brand that stands up for recycling in fashion was featured in two of my fashion weeks outfits, one during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia and second during Riga Fashion Week. Plus in honor of Latvia's independence day we created a special story built around Ethnography collection that's made purely of recycled pieces. Well, I feel now is the time to dig deeper in sustainability within fashion industry and the world of RECYCLED.LV itself.


It's been quite some time since fashion industry started looking into sustainability and implementing it as a core aspect of many businesses. One of the best and most successful examples of 'fashion meets sustainability' strategy is Stella McCartney. Being originally built upon Stella's own values rather than industry's principles, the brand is now able to determine a new course of a whole fashion industry. Stella McCartney is yet one of the first in high fashion who's able to find sustainable replacement to natural fur and leather, plus widely use organic cotton and recycled materials. Parallel to such a big, influential movement one branch has seen being developed on its very own - recycling. In other words, re-use of garments and fabrics in order to create new, modern pieces. A pretty good initiative that is able to battle the over-consumerist era we are now living in.


Recycling has been on the rise ever since, especially in the world of fashion. Brands whose concept is built around recycled fabrics and material has been seen popping here and there. It's EDUN launched by U2's BONO and his wife, military fabrics and parachute guru Christopher Raeburn, my Istituto Marangoni lecturer Michele Lowe-Holder and many others. Among these names should also be included one that is 100% #madeinLatvia (or better say #recycledinLatvia?). Yes, you are so far familiar with it - RECYCLED.LV. It's a fashion child of a Naples' Istituto Superiore di Design Anna Aizsilniece (Ingrīda Zābere). All RECYCLED.LV pieces and accessories are made of re-used materials - pants, jackets, shirts, belts, bicycle details, Latvian coins (that's been abandoned in favour of Euro in early 2014). All this has been widely seen in Ethnography collection presented during RFW a year ago.


Ethnography collection is pretty much diverse. There are statement pieces, like jacket embellished with coins or a la Sakta detail in different sizes, casual long shirt dresses, pieces that can be transformed into skirts or capes, as well as simple yet outstanding ones. And this deep blue wrap is such a simple yet outstanding example. It can easily add twist to every outfit. So far we've seen it two times being involved in casual total denim look and in Latvian folk costume inspired outfit. And here we go with third edition. Chic one. Where wrap perfectly finishes off suede dress and matching wide brim hat - over the knee boots combination. A little a la Sakta detail only adds to this outfit by serving as a sun catcher. RECYCLED.LV pieces seem to turn this lady into a child of an Autumn sun... to whom we unfortunately have to send our farewells.


Look:
RECYCLED.LV wrap 
iCe dress 
Lambada.lv over the knee boots 
Aldo bag 


Photo: T. Egorova