DIY Upcycling
Workshops
Upcycling 'Pre-loved' Items with Embellishments
Participants will bring in a pre-loved or worn out pair of jeans or other piece of clothing and learn how to customize them to give them a second life. We will demonstrate how to apply fabric pockets, fringe at the hem, weaving, hand stitching, deconstruction, adding patches and decorating with gems.
Hi, I’m Noor Bchara
I'm the founder of NOORISM, a repurposed denim brand where we create new, elevated pieces from second hand jeans. I'm an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City where I teach about Upcycling and Repurposed design. My goal as a designer is to keep as many garments out of landfills as possible. My mission is to inspire and educate people on Upcycling and Repurposed design and how to do it on a bigger scale.
As a high school teacher designing a sustainable fashion course from scratch, I found Upcycle Design School by searching for an upcycling school/class in NYC.
Noor responded to my email promptly. We scheduled a call to talk about the details. She was very responsible, easy to communicate, very organized, and always follow up with written details via emails. Working with Upcycle Design School helped me plan the activities ahead of time and smoothly.
We first scheduled a lecture via zoom to teach the students about upcycling and sustainable fashion. Then, we arranged an in-person class in the city to let students have hands-on experience. Noor was very accommodating knowing that it wouldn’t be easy to have 12 students traveling from one borough to another. So she found a great space and help us rent tables and chairs for the upcycling class. When we arrived at the location, everything was all set. Noor explained the tools and materials to the students clearly. Students had a variety of tools and materials to work with and all had fun with it.
The special part is that students had the introduction to different methods of upcycling but also had the freedom to create their own pieces. Interestingly, each student had their own inspiration and re-created a piece of clothes uniquely.
The two-hour class passed by quickly. Before we realized it, the class was almost over. That says a lot about how we enjoyed the class.
If we run the same course again, we will definitely work with Upcycle Design School again.
