Upcycling and Ecobank

Launched by Eco Business and City Developments Limited, Ecobank’s focus this year was on Fashion’s 3R’s and conscious consumption. They organised a charity bazaar consisting of pre-loved clothes, accessories, shoes, books and electronics to push for a zero-waste community, and all the proceedings were donated to The Children’s Charities Association of Singapore (CCA). Raffles College of Higher Education partnered with Ecobank to help market the event and create a one-of-a-king 25-piece upcycled collection from the donated clothes.

Journalist Ying from Singapore’s largest Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao interviewed me on my thoughts on upcycling and since I couldn’t understand the article published as even Goggle translate did a terrible job at translating the Chinese, here is the real transcript.

Q: Could you share more on the challenges you faced working on this project?

A: I think the only challenge faced as a student was to try and make sure I dedicated enough time to Ecobank while also finishing my college assignments. There were no other challenges per say. We went to the Ecobank office to sort out all the donated clothes on the first day and they were in all sorts of conditions, some untouched with the price tag still on and some with stains, holes, and what not. We had to filter those clothes which was tiring but also such a different and humbling experience.

Q: Do you think people are more accepting of upcycled fashion than before?

A: Yes I think so. Come to think about it, people have been upcycling in their own homes for years without realising it- cutting their jeans to make them shorts, turning t-shirts into hair bands etc. Upcycling is picking up traction now as people are realising that they are getting stunning pieces made from materials that served another purposed before. It’s a win-win situation. I believe that the more consumers educate themselves and open up to the idea of it, the more brands and designers will want to get on board and produce upcycled products. I’m personally working on making an upcycled brand for a college project and by all the research I’ve done its safe to say that there is a market for it.

Q: Do you have a different view of fashion after this project?

A: Definitely. I have developed an interest for sustainable fashion over the past year, and I try buying sustainable or ethically-produced products whenever I can and whenever it’s within my budget. This project gave that realisation another push because it made me participate actively in the process and seeing the sheer amount of clothes that were donated made me realise the same impact it could have had if it all ended up in a landfill instead. I definitely want to become and urge people close to me to extend the lives of their clothes in anyway they can- be it upcycling, donation or swapping!

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