Every month we chat with a business owner for our Brands that Bloom Series.
This month, I sat down and chatted with Rosette Ale, the founder of Revival, a London based sustainable luxury fashion brand that focuses on addressing textile waste. Revival creates innovative and stylish looks by reclaiming and upcycling textiles and garments.
I was first introduced to Revival London through Instagram. I immediately fell in love with the imaginative styling of the looks she puts together.
Rosette’s vision for utilizing fabrics that would otherwise be wasted was something I hadn’t seen done before in the high fashion industry. I knew I wanted to chat and learn more about how she does it!
Check out the video interview here:
A Solution to Textile Waste
Rosette first created Revival in 2016 after studying sustainability and textile waste in the fashion industry.
She said, “Learning more about fashion and textile waste and the negative side of it, that opened my eyes up and I said, ‘Okay if I start something, I want it to be solution focused and actually help’.”
Textile waste is a massive problem we’re facing right now. The average person in the United States generates about 82 pounds of textile waste every year! Of that, typically only 15% is actually recycled and reused. The rest ends up in landfills or is burned.
When textiles are left to decompose in landfills, they often leach chemicals and dyes into the ground.
Knowing this, Rosette combined her passion for high fashion with her interest in sustainability and innovation. She launched her first capsule collection in 2017!
(Rosette Ale in Revival Ldn)
This collection upcycled previously used denim that would have otherwise been discarded.
What is Upcycling?
According to Wikipedia, “Upcycling is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value.”
This is precisely what Revival is doing with her clothing line! She has reinvisioned the fabric, and transformed them to give them a new life.
“I definitely wanted people to see the potential in stuff they don’t wear anymore, and to open up peoples’ eyes to different possibilities.”
It’s hard not to feel inspired when looking at the designs Rosette has come up with. What was once an old pair of jeans now becomes a hip two piece crop top and skirt set.
The Future of Fashion
With textile waste ever increasing, we do hope that more brands will take inspiration from innovators like Rosette and incorporate reclaimed textiles into their manufacturing.
There are a ton of alternatives to throwing used clothes in the trash, and we encourage you to think creatively to find a more sustainable solution! As consumers, it’s also important to know your role in this problem. If you’re working towards reducing your personal textile waste, consider taking a workshop with Rosette. She’ll teach you more about how to use the concept of upcycling to reenvision and redesign your used clothing!
To learn more about Rosette and Revival London, head over to her website here or check her out on Instagram @revivalldn.
Get inspired!
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