A good headdress needs a lot of skills: It should warm up, fit well, fit to one’s own face and clothes style – and in terms of material and mode of production it should correspond to the idea of sustainability. These criteria [schutz & schmuck] upcycling beanies wants to reconcile.
Slow fashion and upcycling instead of textile waste mountains
As a seamstress and dressmaker, I am working again and again intensively with our relationship to what we wear – and the question of sustainability in our behavior. The people who visit me in my tailor’s workshop in Hamburg, have very different views and backgrounds. However, they all share the pleasure of a high-quality, environmentally and socially responsible produced garment as a loyal and lasting companion. And they are not alone with this: In recent years, the interest in slow fashion has been growing in population, ie to well-made, durable and timeless clothes.
Despite this general rethinking clothes are beeing consumed very fast moving in Germany, as in most industrialized nations: 25 kg of new textiles are purchased by us per capita per year; over a million tons of textiles are disposed of us annually nationwide – a good part of it only because it does no longer meet the fashion.
Upcycling is not just an attempt for me to counter this sad conclusion. To create from the mishmash of sorted out material, ie garbage, a unified, harmonious new is a challenge and inspires me again and again in many ways.
From old to great: the [schutz & schmuck] upcycling beanies
Almost by accident, the idea for the beanies from discarded wool sweaters came into being:
One day I picked my favorite wool pullover from the laundry and noticed with horror that it had become so small that even my little son could hardly fit into it yet – washed too hot. Thus, into the dustbin? No – on closer inspection I noticed to what wonderful Woolwalk the material had become in the washing machine: solid and dense and yet quite soft.
At that time, I wore my hair no longer than three millimeters and froze in the winter more often at the head. So I took the old sweater, cut it apart and sewed me a warm beanie from it.
From then on, I have devoted myself to the upcycling of discarded wool sweaters. Whether worn or broken in, with hole or stain – my washing machine processes the “old rags” into a high-quality Walk. For the raw material, the Wool (cashmere, alpaca, merino, lambswool …) is ideal for warm, wind and water repellent caps. And so that definitely nothing itches at the head, each of the handmade unique is provided with a soft Cotton lining – from the remnants of worn T-shirts.
Since the starting material, the old sweaters and shirts, varies, each cap has a special charm and character. Plain and simple in discreet Gray or wild and cheerful in pink with contrasting lining – it is catered for for each taste. And if you like it especially individually, you can design your own desired beanie from my stock of sorted sweaters in my online shop for upcycling uniques.
– Guestpost by Rachel Kopp, Taylor workshopp [schutz und schmuck], Hamburg, Germany –