Upcycling with a Twist: How Belarusians Unite to Create New from Old

The global conversation around ecological awareness is growing louder, and one of the most popular trends is upcycling—the creation of new products from existing items and materials. While consumers often drive this trend abroad, in Belarus, eco-friendly consumption is primarily promoted by producers and designers themselves. Let’s delve into the unique characteristics of Belarusian upcycling.

Understanding Upcycling

Upcycling (from the English “upcycling,” literally translated as “broader application”) involves the secondary use of existing items, giving them a “new interpretation.” Unlike recycling, upcycling does not subject the item to significant reprocessing.

The Rise of Upcycling in Belarus

In Belarus, many large companies focus on recycling, where products are made from recycled materials. For instance, Mark Formelle created a capsule collection of clothing from recycled plastic. Companies like “Belvtorpolymer” turn plastic waste into pipes, films, tiles, manholes, and more. The “Borisov Plant of Plastic Products” transforms recycled tires into coverings for children’s playgrounds. “Alivaria” created and installed an eco-bench made from recycled plastic in the Central Botanical Garden.

However, there is a growing number of individuals specializing in upcycling. Belarusian upcycling designers have formed a community to promote eco-friendly fashion. We spoke with some of them about the intricacies of running a business, fashion, and ecology.

Ksenia Gest, Brand GEST: “Producing is Easy, Selling is Hard”

Ksenia Gest, the designer behind the brand GEST, creates clothing from jeans and shirts. Her graduate project was a collection of clothes made from fabric remnants. Two years later, she won an ecological competition organized by the Belarusian Fashion Council, creating women’s dresses from men’s shirts. Both collections remained in her closet for several years.

“No one understood what it was or if it could be worn. I saw no support, and promoting the concept of eco-friendly clothing on my own was too challenging,” Ksenia recalls.

Environmental issues have always been a concern for Ksenia. After university, she couldn’t work in production for long due to the realization of how much fabric and clothing was either stored or discarded. For a while, she created her own bags and once brought her collection of dresses made from shirts to an Open Closet event. The interest was much higher than she expected, inspiring her to continue. She started an Instagram page and began creating new collections.

Ksenia primarily works with jeans and men’s shirts, turning shirts into dresses and blouses, and jeans into skirts and jackets. Her most popular items are denim skirts made from patches and denim jackets. “Worn-out jeans can’t be donated, but 95% of this fabric can still be used. People are happy to help,” she says.

The production process for such clothing differs significantly from traditional methods. Sorting, preparing, and assembling the “raw material” clothing takes a lot of time. Sewing a skirt from hundreds of small pieces is much more complex than sewing from a single piece of fabric.

“I try to preserve the worn effects on the fabric, use unfinished edges, protruding threads, and leave no scraps,” Ksenia explains.

However, she has to keep the prices low as Belarusians are not yet fully aware of the complexity of such work and are not willing to pay much for it.

“In Belarus, producing is easy, but selling is hard. However, in the past year, the topic of upcycling has advanced significantly. More people support it, and more designers create such clothing,” Ksenia notes.

Ksenia values the community of upcycling designers the most. At the beginning of this year, she and four other designers opened a showroom in the center of Minsk.

“It’s very inspiring to communicate, observe the work of colleagues, and support each other. We want to popularize the concept of creating eco-friendly clothing among people, and we are already taking certain steps in this direction,” she says.

Vera Kostik, Brand Verushka: “People Start Thinking About Ecology After Talking to Me”

Vera Kostik, the designer behind the brand Verushka, is one of Ksenia’s colleagues who shares the showroom space. Vera’s journey into upcycling was accidental. During her maternity leave, she became interested in decluttering. She decided to sell unwanted items and fixed their defects with fabric drawings.

“I just couldn’t throw them away. In our family, we always altered clothes or found new ways to use them,” Vera explains.

To her surprise, the items she upcycled sold faster than new ones. Vera bought second-hand clothes, drew on them, and took them to an Open Closet event. The clothes sold out, inspiring her to create her own brand.

Vera started working with jackets thanks to her father-in-law, who brought her his entire collection of office jackets. He was happy that they got a new life.

Vera had to learn her new profession on the go. With a background in theological education, secretarial work, and graphic design studies, she initially replicated existing drawings, then started creating her own while improving her dyeing techniques. Business took off, and within six months, she moved production from a one-room apartment to a separate space.

Now, Vera draws on jackets, t-shirts, jeans, and alters old clothes. True to the upcycling tradition, she creates new items only from existing ones. She doesn’t see the need to search for fabrics and accessories when everything is already at hand. Moreover, existing items inspire her.

“Give me a point of support, and I will move the earth. My point of support is a ready-made product. I draw inspiration from both the item itself and the person who will wear it. After the transformation, it’s a completely new item with a different mood and philosophy. The person wearing it looks different—their image changes. For example, from a strict office look to a romantic or bright, original one,” Vera explains.

Often, people buy ready-made products, but they also bring their own clothes, sometimes even their grandparents’ items.

The originality and uniqueness of the items attract Vera’s clients first. Ecology is not a major factor, but after talking to Vera, their perspective can change.

“I realized that one of my functions is educational. For example, a person learns that these items are made from other clothes and is confused. I remind them that in a five-star hotel, someone has already slept on these sheets and eaten from these dishes. I explain the processing cycle that an item goes through and then talk about upcycling and ecological problems. After talking to me, people start thinking about ecology, many for the first time,” Vera says.

Vera is confident that upcycling is the future. The community they organized with other upcyclers helps them feel their strength.

“We, Belarusian upcyclers, do not compete but unite,” she concludes.