"The Upcycle Series"

The Weekly Read #2, "The Upcycle Series"

Well, well, well. Week two is here. And we’re starting it with four consecutive words that start with the letter “W”. That’s a ‘W’ in itself if you ask me….heheh….. OKAY. Enough horsing around, it’s time to get to business.  We are a sophisticated bunch, are we not?  Community members of a brand that's name is essentially a command to learn:

Read. A. Book.  

This week, Jack and I decided to go thrifting.  We have been toying with the idea of upcycling clothes.  We have screen printed for other brands that use recycled tees and have enjoyed the results.  I personally enjoy the idea of each piece being absolutely unique.  We both love the fact that it is better for the planet.  So when we arrived at Goodwill, we were looking at clothes through the lens that we would be reworking whatever pieces we chose.  It was not some fun and games thrift session. No.. This was work.  But if you know me and Jack, we tend to have a lot of fun at work. We danced, joked, and felt awkward as we thumbed through the second hand articles of clothing.  Every now and then, I would yell “Jack!” from across the store to show him a piece I was either stoked or unsure about.  As we laid down all of our findings on the counter, we took turns looking together at each other's piles and double checking our choosings.  We discarded many.  

As we checked out,  our cashier was an older lady I could tell was Filipina, so I decided to say one of the only phrases in Tagalog I know, “Salamat Po!” Which means thank you with respect.  From this, she got excited assuming I spoke Tagalog and began to speak full blown Tagalog back at me.  I explained that I only know a few phrases. She smiled and began teaching Jack and I another phrase.  “Walang ano man” which means ‘you’re welcome’. I am excited to use it the next time I see my Grandma.

After Goodwill, I headed back to my house to wash the clothes.  Jack went home to design.  Over the weekend, I brought the clothes to the studio and began working.  I started with some jeans.  I wanted to make west-coast styled jorts (you know the kind that Kendrick Lamar wears that go down to your shins), but I noticed that they were a little too tight on all of us to do that.  So we fitted them to Jack and and reworked them into classic midwest jorts.  I cut, then rehemmed.  I embroidered on a piece of scrap denim and sewed it back on the front of the jeans.  Jack gave me the idea to unstitch the back pocket and sew it on reversed.  We decided to try screenprinting on the pocket.  They came out pretty cool. Then I turned some slacks into shorts.  Slorks?

On Sunday, I spent all day fulfilling orders and then reworking some dress shirts.  I am most excited about these pieces.  I cut the sleeves and bottoms of the shirts and then re-hemmed.  With each shirt, I am evaluating what I want to do with it.  Some I plan on embroidering on, some screenprint on, and some leave be.  I am enjoying this style of work.  While we have our Chapter pieces that are always the same, these upcycled pieces will be different every single time.  It will take creativity with each piece, trying to make the coolest item possible every time.  There is no half-assing.  It requires my full attention and presence.  And that is my favorite kind of activity.  

So, that is what we have been up to this week.  We hope to drop a few of these upcycled pieces every week. It’s exciting stuff. As far as what’s going on this week, I plan on redesigning the website a bit to make it feel more playful and nostalgic. We are close to Chapter 2… I feel it. Other than that,  I hope you are having a good week that is full of learning, new experiences, and good food.  We appreciate every single one of you in this community and are excited to grow alongside you all.

Read a Book!