Hong Kong based upcycling brand, Lastbutnotleast, is stepping up to the plate to take a swing against mass production, inferior quality, and unethical working conditions with their inventive upcycled clothing ideas.
Today it’s almost too easy to go to a chain retail store and find an article of clothing for super cheap. You can find an item such as a shirt for as little as five or ten dollars. Fast fashion is an obscene epidemic the industry and more upcycled clothing ideas like Lastbutnotleast are changing the way we view fashion.
The dedicated enthusiast behind this movement is fashion designer, Toby Lam, who has observed the fashion industry first hand with all of its skeletons hiding in the closet. Lam’s dream of a happy marriage between style and sustainability became a reality in 2013 with Lastbutnotleast. The purpose of Lastbutnotleast is to not only present fun, new upcycled clothing ideas, but to also raise awareness of how dangerous fast fashion is to us and our environment and shed light on the unfortunate practices in the industry. There must be a better way to handle clothing that’s either old, no longer a trend, or damaged, and Lastbutnotleast is showing us how.
Clothing items that no longer serve a current purpose can be sent to Lastbutnotleast with the person’s new and refreshed idea for the garment. Lastbutnotleast will offer design sources and then go through the brainstorming process. With a deposit, a sketch of the new look is made and once the client gives consent, alterations can begin. Then VOILA! Just like that, you have a top that was formerly a pair of pants!
Lastbutnotleast’s upcycled clothing ideas are always unconventional and uncommon, in the coolest ways of course. It can take anything and transform it into something completely unfathomable. Shirts become pants, pants become a dress, you name it and it can be done just like magic. No fabric or material is ever wasted either. Any leftover scraps are constructed into added details on a garment.
Bringing the attention back to the concept of fast fashion for a moment, mass produced items that come at a cost of enslaving human beings, torturing our animal friends, and trashing our planet is outright inconceivable and unacceptable. Is there really even a point to buying a $9.99 top that will be worn once and then tossed in the garbage to sit in a landfill for years? Is it okay to force someone against their will to stitch labels for over half the day with just a few coins as compensation? Why are beautiful, innocent animals being abused or killed for human vanity? Think about it.
Through the efforts of Lastbutnotleast, we are given an opportunity to start turning things around for our earth and our future while supporting a small business. We need to start considering the fact that if we don’t stand up for the sustainability of our world, we will exist in a very dim factory-like environment. Lastbutnotleast has come to us at the perfect time to help us protect our surroundings, our animals, and our people.
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Image via Lastbutnotleast