Why Christina Dean just wears fashion out of the garbage
Every year in Germany alone around 1.5 billion pieces of clothing end up in the household waste. Clothing has mutated into a disposable item, with every corner selling the latest trends for little money. The fashion activist Christina Dean, a trained dentist and founder of the non-governmental organization Redress, wants to draw attention to the ever-increasing consumption of textiles with her project "The 365 Challenge": she only wears clothes from the garbage - and looks very stylish throughout. You could also see that on the Instagram channel of Redress. We met her for an interview and questioned her about the great project. What does Christina sum up with garbage after 365 days? She explains:
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Woke up beyond this morning after last night's podcast recording with Christina, founder of @getredressed. A quote that I can not shake from my mind: "With chaos comes creativity." Stay tuned - our episode featuring this fierce, trailblazing woman will be launching in the next few weeks! #ConsciousChatter
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ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: How does one come up with the idea of carrying clothes out of trash for 365 days?
My aha experience came when I visited a landfill site in the Hong Kong area with a video team as part of my work for the Redress Forum. I remember exactly how I was standing on a road and suddenly drove by me huge garbage trucks past me. I recognized loud sleeves and pant legs. At that moment, I knew that if we as consumers want to make the textile industry more sustainable and environmentally friendly, we must not throw away clothes so carelessly.
So it's not enough to look for fair fashion made of organic materials?
No. While sustainable production and eco-friendly textiles are an important topic for the apparel industry, that is only part of the problem. The other part lies with the consumers who buy more and more clothes and discard without thinking.
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Day 259, Sep 16. Christina is not washing her regularly-worn jeans for one entire year, in a stance against too much machine washing! She was inspired by @Levis? CEO, Chip Bergh, who is thus going for one year in favor of lowering water use (roughly helped the water usage happens during jeans production? The other half is generated at home). In Levis? own words? Dirty is the new Clean? (research finds that they actually self-clean!) #GetRedressed #consumercare #washless #water
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So you decided to just wear clothes out of the trash ...
... for a whole year, every single day. I wanted to go on a little journey and find out how my attitude to clothing changes.
And then you simply fished the clothes out of the garbage?
It was not that easy. Unfortunately, ordinary people do not have access to landfills, so I had to work with the charity organization Friends of the Earth from Hong Kong. This organization collects garbage items to recycle.
Are not there many rags?
On the contrary. I was shocked, what great, perfectly intact garments people just throw away. The clothes were often more original and beautiful than anything I had in my wardrobe. That's exactly what I wanted to prove with my project.
Day 243, Aug 31. Christina gives us a sneak peak of Esprit's up-coming Recycled Collection, which was designed by The EcoChic Design Award 2013 Winner, Karen Jessen. Esprit's factory fresh textile waste and recycled PET and it (along with Karen's entire recycled collection) wants to hit Esprit's stores in September. We already sold! #getredressed #sustainablebrands #ECDA @espritofficial
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Creating outfits was not a problem?
Absolutely not! I think my Instagram account proved that pretty well last year. However, every month I had support from a stylist who helped me. We ransacked clothes piles for hours and put together outfits.
And by the way, you've given your followers tips on upcycling & Co.
The second goal of my project was an educational: I wanted to show people how to upgrade old clothes with a few tricks. So I thought about twelve theme months, for example about DIY, repair and maintenance. Did you know, for example, that you get most of the stains with vinegar and seltzer?
Day 70, Mar 11.Black and white has been a staple in fashion for decades, and is both timeless and flattering. Today, Christina wears a white lace top and cardigan under her coat to add more textures and to play around with layers. All secondhand from the bins! Her look is inspired by Jason Wu's collection (pictured). Play with monochrome for a range of interesting looks! #getredressed #ontrend #secondhand #ootd @jasonwustudio @michelleobama
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Honestly no. Did you already like to wear second-hand clothing before the project?
No, my wardrobe was mostly organic. I have never bought too much clothing and have never really been a "fashion girl" who knows exactly what's going on. Nevertheless, I have my own style and I like to look good.
How do I recognize real vintage treasures?
The most important thing is the fabric quality. I have rummaged through so many tons of old clothes, I now blindly recognize a good substance. Equally important is the cut of the garment. Vintage things are cut much better than many things you get with the big chains. You should also pay attention to well-made seams, cuffs and zippers. If then the details are right, for example, a beautiful hem or a great collar, then you have found a very special part.
Now is the year over? what did you learn?
Above all, unfortunately, I can confirm that we throw away too much clothing. Personally, I have learned that I can be more courageous when it comes to fashion. There were so many clothes that I would never have put on and then? styled right? looked great.
Day 201, July 20. The #LBD rules again! Another classic #holidaywardrobe essential. Here Christina is dressed in sleeveless blazer and converse with a clutch bag and sandals. Many more combinations possible! #getredressed
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Was it funny to put on already worn clothes for one year?
In fact, before the project, I had already thought about how I would feel in the clothes of strangers, especially as second-hand clothes in Asia are more likely to cause wet socks. But the moment I slipped into the garment, it felt like my own.
It's like vintage furniture that has its own story and soul ...
Exactly! We build a relationship with clothes and furniture. The more it hurts me to see what ends up heartless in the garbage.
They seem to love fashion right now.
Since my project I love fashion about everything. Fashion is so incredibly creative and has a big impact on how we feel. Fashion makes you happy!
