Upcycling In Practice: How Lost in Samsara creates their upcycled accessories.
Why did you decide to produce upcycled and recycled accessories?
Marvi and Alessia: When we started Lost in Samsara we wanted to create accessories that we would want to wear and that would embody the values we believe in.
For us, it is important to create beautiful products that minimise the impact on our planet, so choosing to develop a collection of upcycled and recycled accessories was an obvious choice.
What is the difference between recycled and upcycled according to you?
The main difference between recycled and upcycled is that when you upcycle something you create a new objects out of old or used things or waste material. Recycling is the process of collecting materials that can be used again. At Lost in Samsara we do both, we recycle inner tubes from old tyres, motorcycles seats and bullet cases and we upcycle them to create our collections.
By giving them a new life, we avoid all these discarded materials ending up in landfills, thus polluting the environment.
Can you describe your design process? How do you get ideas? Is material the inspiration or do you design first and then look for suitable materials?
We collaborate with small fair trade producers groups that employ disadvantaged artisans. When we started working with them, they were already skilled in producing upcycled accessories. We know what materials they can work with and we start from there to design new products together. We always try to design accessories that can be useful in our daily lives so often the design process starts with brainstorming on how we can produce them using the materials we have available.
Our aim is to create something that is fashionable, durable and that highlights the features of the recycled material itself.
When it comes to production, where do you obtain your materials and how are the things made?
The waste material is bought to be reused and by doing so people are encouraged not to throw it away, but to keep it and then sell it. This means less trash and less pollution. After, the materials are then cleaned and transformed into our accessories. The producers group we partner with focuses especially on giving opportunities to disable people, so by wearing one of our products you are not only contributing to keep waste out of landfill, but also helping to provide meaningful employment and training.
What do you think is better: recycling or upcycling materials?
Recycling is a necessary step in collecting the waste material, but for it to be transformed into a completely new product, it requires a lot more energy. For example, recycling plastic bottles and then transform them into yarns to be used to create other accessories requires a high energy consumption process. This practice requires specific industrial plants and often fossil fuels. Upcycling is a more straight forward process, because you are only reusing the waste material itself and making it into something new.
Shop Lost in Samsara here: https://www.lostinsamsara.co.uk/
