Western Fashion – This American Designer Recreates New Clothes From Old Ones. Here’s How

The first thing that comes to the minds of most people at the sight of old clothes is to trash them, but not Margaret Burton. Margaret Burton, the founder of the Margaret Burton fashion brand, thinks old clothes should be turned into “one of a kind garments”. 

Her brand aims at helping “the environment and customers cherish what they wear so that their wardrobe and our earth will last longer.”

Seeing how high-end fashion samples and cancelled styles were cut in half, during an internship she did in New York City (NYC) as an undergraduate at Pratt Institute, broke her heart in two. From that time on she started working on developing a method to end fashion waste.

There are already enough clothes in the world and we need to find a way to recycle them. – Margaret Burton.

The brand has released a total of 5 collections which were all produced from old clothes. Her collections are a testament of how creative and passionate she is.

Her 2019 Collection 5 sports looks made from old denim tailored for the ultimate fit and recycled t-shirt shirts.

Her 2019 Collection 4 was tailored specifically for those who wish to have that professional yet comfortable feel. This collection was created using repurposed mens t-shirts and button downs.

For her 2018 Collection 3, Margaret adds donated clothes to sportswear and tailored wear. She created a “business casual” look by creating shirts made from old t-shirts and a suit made from Lebron James Jerseys. The collection also has a “tailored comfort” section where business shirts are turned into comfort wear.

In her 2017 Collection 2, Margaret weaved in new stories to her designs by using old outfits from an ex boyfriend, a brother in law, a famous model and, as always, family and friends. Her models were refugees from Nepal and Eritea who are now based in North Carolina (NC).

For her very first collection, Collection 1, Margaret used fabrics gotten from deconstructing items of clothing from friends, family and thrift stores to create looks that were distinctively a negation of disposable fashion.

Margaret’s “Honouring The Passed With Clothes” is her way of helping people who have lost loved ones still have a bit of their loved ones by sewing their old clothes into one unique piece. 

Margaret Burton is definitely one person to look out for in the fashion industry. Fashion designers in Nigeria and other parts of the world can take a cue from her to make their outfits timeless.

Here in Africa, Taibo Bacar and Laduma Ngxokolo are two great African designers to look out for also.