Upcycled

From Vintage Finds and Industry Offcuts to Scrap Tyres and Fishing Byproducts. Materials Saved From Waste. Transformed by Hand Into Properly Considered Objects.

Upcycling, in the strict sense, is the practice of taking something that would otherwise have been discarded — industrial offcuts, deadstock fabric, vintage garments destined for landfill, fishing-industry byproducts, even scrap car tyres — and transforming it by hand into something of higher value. It is, in its purest form, the opposite of recycling: where recycling tends to break materials down so they can be reprocessed industrially, upcycling preserves the original character of the material and gives it a properly considered second life. The Upcycled Makers collection at Sostter brings together the brands doing this most rigorously: small studios, independent artisans, fashion-industry heavyweights with newly-found consciences, and (as we expand the directory) the furniture restorers and reclaimed-wood specialists who refuse to let good British materials go to waste.

The collection is anchored by Stuart Trevor — the founder of AllSaints and one of the more consequential names in modern British fashion — who since 2023 has been running his eponymous brand from a Victorian tea warehouse in Hoxton on the premise that "the world doesn't need another clothing brand; what about a clothing brand that doesn't produce any clothes?" His three ranges (RE-WIND, RE-SET, RE-PLAY) transform vintage finds, deadstock fabric and surplus garments into one-of-a-kind pieces, each signed and dated by Stuart himself and typically limited to runs of five. Hugs & Co., founded by London-based brothers Benjie and Hugo Davis in 2012, takes a more unexpected angle: their luxury driving loafers are built with soles upcycled from scrap car tyres, laminated with Italian leather and handmade in Portugal. Available, since they cracked it, at Harvey Nichols. Trendbag, the Estonian brand, handmakes bags from leather offcuts left over from the furniture industry — durable enough for sofas, more than durable enough for shoulder bags. Tairi Roosve works with deadstock leather and recycled materials from her Tallinn studio, producing unique limited-edition pieces that no mainstream retailer would otherwise sell. Lentsius, a father-and-daughter Estonian jewellery studio, upcycles waste metal and wood from local industry into properly distinctive pieces. Eherüs uses fish skin — a true byproduct of the Estonian fishing industry — to create unusually beautiful leather accessories. And Kira Sustainable makes vegan footwear from repurposed and recycled materials. The directory will continue to grow as we onboard British furniture restorers, reclaimed-wood specialists and other makers giving old chairs, tables, timbers and textiles a properly distinguished second life.

Discover more from our Sustainable Brands directory at Sostter, browse our Circular Makers collection for brands designed to be refilled, repaired or returned, or explore independent UK makers in our British Makers and Heritage Brands directories.