It is no news that the upcycling trend is taking Europe by storm. Recuperating industrial textile waste, or reworking dismissed items of clothing is one of the most sustainable practices of fashion production. But the level of skill and creativity recently seen around European fashion weeks seems to be growing season after season.

Nobody understands this better than Orsola De Castro, herself an upcycling pioneer, who selected a few brands that work with this philosophy for the latest edition of Estethica during London Fashion Week.

Aiste Nesterovaite is one of them. She already made an appearance in London during Estethica in September 2011, and her line of “Wearable accessories for wearable adventures” enjoyed such tremendous success that she was invited to exhibit again.

Aiste tells us:

“My ecodesign philosophy started with my addiction to second hand shops, which prevalence makes my city, Vilnius, quite unique. Second hand shops, in my opinion, are a manifestation of the excess and dissatisfaction of fashion. The abundance of old-fashioned but almost unworn clothes found in the shops illustrates the proliferating preference for a trend or hype over the quality of fabrics and usability. Having these insights as a starting point, I extend the life of used clothes by deconstructing and restyling them into completely new forms and constructions.

Deconstruction, re-assemblage, bricolage and pastiche are approaches I apply to my designs. Adding a part of a sweater, a part of a jacket, a few scraps of a carefully selected fabric, and mixing all the ingredients in the proportions of a businessman, a hipster and a sportsman, I design a wearable pastiche of diverse textures and forms. The hybridity also makes my scarves very tolerant to the style of any wearer. It not just fit to any style, but it also dissolves in it.”

Each scarf is a one-off, carefully tailored in Lithuania by Aiste Nesterovaite.

all images courtesy of Aiste Nesterovaite