Fashion, beauty drive upcycling

By Rachel Lee

The "upcycling" trend has taken off across Korea as the fashion and beauty industry gives old materials trendy new life.

Upcycling started in Germany in the early 1990s and refers to transforming junk into products that have value.

Japanese fast-fashion giant Uniqlo has led the trend here with its “Angel Recycle Campaign,” which it did with coffee chain Angel-in-us. Leftover material from alterations was used to make recycled beverage holders, which also came with a free Americano voucher.

The campaign, which ended last week, is more than just upcycling _ Uniqlo gave the homeless an opportunity to get involved in production of the holders.

“We have chosen Korea as the first country to launch our recycling campaign and that has had a remarkable result,” a Uniqlo spokesperson said. “A total of 30 stores nationwide were giving out about 10,000 holders, which has doubled from last year.”

Menswear brand Parkland has followed suit. It has launched a salvage service with social enterprise Ecoinblank, offering discarded fabric to make bags and pouches. The two signed an agreement this month and said they would employ women in need of work.

Selected designs will be submitted to the Design for Asia Awards in Hong Kong.

“We are suggesting solutions to stock and environmental problems with the creative approach of upcycling, which will also reestablish our values as an eco-friendly company,” Parkland CEO Kwak Kuk-min said.

Cosmetics company AmorePacific’s “Greencyle” campaign, launched last year covers various upcycling and recycling activities using empty cosmetic bottles. It has been extended to include career mentoring for high school students seeking to become dermatological researchers.

The program also offers students an arts class using cosmetic products left over after testing.

AmorePacific also participates in the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s annual urban greening campaign, “Seoul in Blossom.”

The company has exhibited environmentally friendly artworks and provided gardening tips using recyclables. It also showcased how various plants and flowers can be planted in empty cosmetic bottles, disposable cups and paper boxes to create a vibrant garden.

Europe is the pioneer of the upcycling trend. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the market is estimated to range from 5 to 40 percent of the 3 billion pound U.K. craft industry, according to the Daily Telegraph.

“Remade in Britain”, the U.K.’s first upcycling market place, was launched last year by entrepreneur Donna Fenn to “capitalize on consumers’ appetite for ‘old made new.’” More than 2,000 items from 300 makers are listed on the platform, the newspaper reported.

“Upcycling is a great way of addressing these waste figures and encouraging people to think about reusing previously unwanted items,” Fenn was quoted as saying. “People are increasingly conscious of the amount of waste we are throwing away.”