Recycled chic

Trash is a relative term.

Whether it’s shopping at consignment shops stocked full of “pre-loved” designer duds; taking old pieces and reworking them into new ones; or making new products out of recycled materials, recycling has gone haute couture.

Remember the 1995 Academy Award winner for best costume design accepted her award in a dress recycled entirely from American Express gold cards? Or Isaac Mizrahi’s fashion line that featured “sequins” made from recycled beverage cans?

More recently, Hermès debuted its “Petit h” – a line of accessories made from upcycled scraps. They are cobbled together from defective inventory and factory-floor leftovers from Hermès’ workshops and have been turned into new objects for Petit h. Prices range from $40 for a leather charm to $100,000 for the panda.

Sustainable fashion, also called eco fashion, is a part of the growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, environmentalism and social responsibility, where products are created and produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact it may have throughout its total life span, including its “carbon footprint”.