It is known that fashion is at the top of the most polluting sectors in the world, especially when it comes to fast fashion and its short life cycle. By now we are part of a world that pushes us more and more toward extreme consumerism. The goal of it is to make us buy as many clothes as possible, luring us with the trap of discounts, and so we find ourselves compulsively buying garments that we may not even wear or that we throw away after 6 months.

New generations, however, seem to be more attentive to the sustainability topic, and in recent years several startups have become game-changers in garment recycling. Appcycled is an Italian startup by Diletta Pollice, who in 2020 began to modify her own clothes, trying to recreate with old fabrics what she would have liked to buy. This process is known as upcycling: starting from existing materials, you can create a new object with greater value. Appcycled started from this idea and became a digital platform that wants to fight waste and consumerism, by scouting for new like-minded designers. We spoke with Diletta, the founder, to know her vision and the project roots.

Appcycled is an innovative startup with a very noble intent. What’s the story behind your project?

Appcycled was born with the idea of simplifying the upcycling process to reduce the amount of textile waste that goes to landfills. The idea came about when I started working in the fashion industry in 2019 and I realized the immense amount of waste in this industry. Every second the equivalent of a truckload of textile waste is thrown into landfills, while we currently recycle less than 1 percent of this waste. I realized that we needed to find a solution to reduce our impact on the environment and preserve natural resources. Upcycling seemed to me an obvious solution to reuse fabrics and clothes that are not suitable for resale. However, I noticed that the upcycling process was complicated, requiring many resources, time, and skills. This led to the idea of creating Appcycled, a platform that simplifies the upcycling process and makes it accessible to everyone. Our mission is to foster a culture of recycling and upcycling in the fashion industry, thus contributing to the creation of a more sustainable and environmentally friendly world. We are proud to be an innovative startup working in an industry like fashion, an industry that still has a long way to go but at the same time is investing a lot in finding solutions. We want to be an example and a partner for other companies in the industry and show that it is possible to do business with a sustainable and responsible approach.

Reading on your site, it struck me that you started to alter clothes and create them according to what you would have liked to buy. How do you choose materials and what guides you?

As a child, I have always had a passion for fashion and sewing, so I started creating clothes for special occasions. In the past, when I was creating my clothes, I would do research to find inspiration, then go to fabric stores to buy the right materials for my design. During the Covid-19 pandemic, since I could not buy new fabrics, I began to look at the clothes I already had in my closet in a different light. I saw potential in many garments that I took for granted and began to transform them into something new and original. During my creative process, the materials I find guide me. Unlike the traditional fashion industry, where the creative process starts with a predefined design or idea, I start with the fabrics I have in hand and I imagine what they could become.

In creating upcycled garments, sustainability is a core value. We try to use existing materials, such as old clothes or vintage fabrics, so as to reduce environmental impact and preserve natural resources. We choose high quality and durable materials so that the garments we create can be used for a long time and do not end up in landfills soon. We hope the creative approach will inspire other people to rediscover the value of materials and find new solutions to reduce waste in the fashion industry.

As well as a philosophy of life, Appcycled is a marketplace that brings together emerging designers. Do they come to you or are they selected by your team based on specific criteria?

Both cases occur regularly: we often discover new designers on social media and contact them directly, while in other cases it is the designers who contact us, either during Temporary stores or online, because they may have been recommended by other designers. Our selection of designers is based on objective criteria such as product quality and quantity, price, and availability, as well as subjective criteria such as our personal taste.

Our goal is to offer luxury upcycling, often sartorial and far removed from vintage, so as not to confuse the customer. It is encouraging to see that more and more designers are deciding to produce ethically and sustainably using discarded fabrics or fine pieces. We are very happy to be able to provide a platform to support this trend and will continue to work to expand our network of designers and textile manufacturers to promote more sustainable and conscious fashion.

Where do the textile scraps you use for garment creation come from? How does the ideation and production process work?

The process of designing and producing garments starts right from the selection of discarded fabrics that are often donated to us. We then select the most suitable designers to create garments from these fabrics and collaborate with some social tailors to design and produce the new patterns. This process is very artisanal and requires a lot of experimentation and research to find the best design for each fabric. In this way we are able to create unique, high-quality garments while minimizing waste and our impact on the environment.

Do you have any ideas or plans for the future?

We have many ideas and plans for the future. We are planning to expand our product range to include upcycled accessories and home furnishings. In addition, we would like to collaborate with more up-and-coming designers to expand our range of sustainable and innovative garments to offer more and more choices to our customers.

We are also striving to make more and more people aware of sustainable fashion and the importance of upcycling and reuse. We are active online and participate in events and workshops to spread our philosophy and engage more and more people. In 2023, we will continue to show up at fairs and events to create a stronger network, and we will keep the focus on environmental care and sustainability.

I would like to ask you to send a message or give advice to the new generations who are surely more sensitive to these issues than the previous ones.

APPCYCLED means being a protagonist of a cheerful, creative, and sustainable revolution that says enough about the same old mass fashion! The world in which we live presents unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The younger generation has the opportunity to shape the future and make a significant difference. I encourage you to follow your passions, cultivate curiosity and be open to change. Be courageous in pursuing your dreams, but also be prudent and responsible in managing the resources and environment around us. Remember that the future depends on you and your choices. Always try to be empathetic and work together to achieve common goals. In this way, you can create a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive world for future generations. In addition, I recommend that you engage in continuous learning and the acquisition of skills useful for your future. Be curious and creative, experiment, make mistakes and learn from your mistakes. Finally, do not forget to take care of yourself, and your mental and physical health, and always have a positive and purposeful outlook on life.

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