The project represents a collaboration between ReWorKs CIC – A Social Enterprise with a purpose to reduce the volume of textiles heading to landfill and the University of the Creative Arts. ReWorKs mission is to make a positive and sustainable impact to reducing these volumes based on intelligence gathered from a decade of re-purposing textile waste. ReWorKs targets volume solutions that can be adopted by society as a whole not just the super fashionable or mega wealthy buyers. ReWorKs target partner is a buyer or network collaborator just like you! The exhibition represents what’s possible from surplus deadstock textiles as well as representing both a sustainable process for upcycling, fashion design and industry – university collaboration. The raw materials were all drawn from ReWorKs Trading Ltd – A Textile recycling processor and distributor of vintage clothing. The garments were constructed using only unsaleable items. In the Textiles Hierarchy the prime aim is to Reduce, then Re-use, then Recycle…..In reality there are a few more Rs that are used – E.g. ReWorKing. ReWorKs approach is to Reduce consumption through educating and marketing opportunities for Re-Use and Recycling. Re-Use: Under the umbrella of ‘VINTAGE’ certain items are desirable in their own right in their original condition. ReWorKs sources Vintage from rag yards and government surplus around the world as is necessary to meet demand. We also buy some dead stocks from factory over-runs We seek to purchase stock lots with a degree of uniformity – E.g. Denim Jackets / Leather Biker Jackets etc. Inevitably one of the best sources for this is government (military) surplus where we can buy thousands of one item that is excatly the same piece by piece. There are 3 main sources of textiles; Civilian Rag (i.e. Collected in road side bins – E.g. red cross), Government & Military Surplus & Factory Over-runs / Excess Fabric. ReCycle: Some items from the chain can not be easily marketing in their own right due to their condition, size or style etc. These items may need repairing through careful stitch work or require some energy to be deployed to re-condition them to a marketable state – Washing and Garment Dyeing are examples of a relatively easy recycling process. Sometimes the item is too far from being marketable that further design inspiration is required. This is repurposing / upcycling. At this stage the garment may become unrecognisable from it’s original state or at the ultimate level compenentry may be stripped out and the remaining textile matter be shredded ready for re-weaving into flat material in the future. ReWorKs offers 4 main solutions to address the Recycling challenge: ReWorKs Vintage – Vintage Distributors ReWorKs Collections – Recycled and Upcycled RWKS Compenentry – Componentry as a by product of Upcycling Projects ReWorKs Re-Made – Heritage Classic no longer available in the Vintage Supply Chain www.reworks.org.uk