upcycling at london fashion week

Upcycling to strut its stuff at London Fashion Week

12 February 2013, source edie newsroom

Liora Lassalle, the winner of this year's sustainable fashion award, the Estethica / Veolia Re-Source competition, will launch her first collection during London Fashion Week February 15 - 19 2013.

Lassalle has produced an upcycled capsule collection supported by a mentoring programme sponsored by recycling and waste management company Veolia.

The collaboration between Estethica, the British Fashion Council's (BFC) initiative for sustainable fashion, and Veolia Environmental Services, aims to identify and nurture students to develop creative and sustainable solutions in fashion.

As well as reusing old work wear from Veolia's staff, Lassalle has also designed a collection of jeans created from reclaimed denim donated by denim brand, Pier.

Veolia Environmental Services chief executive Estelle Brachlianoff said: "We are delighted that the Re-Source competition has given Liora the opportunity to not only learn important tools for creating upcycled fashion, but to also launch a collection within her first year of graduating from college.

"Her designs reuse old high visual jackets from our employees that would have been recycled, but instead have been turned into haute couture designs."

All Estethica designers adhere to at least one of the three Estethica principles of fair-trade and ethical practices, use organic and recycled materials and are selected for both their ethical credentials and design excellence.

BFC CEO Caroline Rush added: "Liora Lassalle's upcycling collection is the first collection commissioned by Estethica to a BA graduate from Central Saint Martins College of Arts & Design with support from Veolia.

"Liora's debut collection launches a new phase for the Estethica mentoring scheme and for its support to designers to develop sustainable solutions."