Upcycling Fashion IFA Paris - International Fashion Academy

Overview

When a student can turn their old jeans into a fashion forward jacket or an old sweater into trendy crop top, you are opening doors to new way of looking at old/used clothing. One of the most surprising elements of this Upcycling Fashion class is that no sewing experience is needed, and all experience levels can create recycled fashion.

Students leave IFA Paris - International Fashion Academy with a feeling of accomplishment that if they want something new they can create it without spending a penny or going to any store. That changes the way they shop and ultimately how they see their own textile waste. Change starts small but has ongoing impact.

Teaching strategies

• You will be taught how to deconstruct a garment and reassemble using key parts of the garment. You will have several choices of projects that will be geared to your experience/skill level. Having the students deconstruct a garment piece by piece – reteaches how a garment is constructed.
• Once each garment is completely deconstructed, you will determine with your lecturer’s help what key elements of the garment you would like to keep and parts you want to discard.
• The pieces are then reassembled creating a completely different garment, the discarded pieces serve as extra fabric needed to embellish finished garment. Most to all of the original piece is used and/or ideas are given to utilize leftover fabric. This teaches the zero-waste concept.
• What you learn at the end is that with a little work and creativity you can make something new from something old and old clothes are never seen the same way again.