ABOUT 

Upcycle & Shine 

If you don't know it already: the fashion industry is the second-largest polluter in the world just after the oil industry. As a kids- and womenswear fashion designer, I was starting to feel guilty about working in fashion a long time ago. I felt like watching a car crash without running to help the injured if I would just change careers without trying to change it for the better. But it's our earth that is crashing and it's quite a big deal. So we should all fight together!

"Textile production is estimated to be responsible for about 20% of global clean water pollution from dyeing and finishing products."

Fashion is something so beautiful and creative and can make you feel so incredible when you put something on you like. It can feel so empowering.

I am suffering from severe scoliosis since I am little and my self-esteem has been very low then. But when I put clothes on I liked, which could hide my weird body shape I felt special and rare, I felt strong and good about myself. It has always been my passion and my strength to mix new clothes with vintage pieces I inherited from my grandmother and my mom. I felt I could just use fashion as my superpower to hide behind. I wanted to create fashion people love and feel strong in - like I did.

For me fast and cheap fashion lost all its magic completely, knowing people and the climate have been harmed by its production and long-term impact on landfills.

This project should be understood as a contribution to the fashion revolution, it's there to grow the community within hobby sewers, artists, and designers to shift the mindset of the society about fast fashion and its impact on our climate. Upcycle and shine are here to bring fun and creativity back to our houses, to show our kids what we are able to create with our own hands and minds, to save the earth and stop pollution.

Lots of love,

Anna