Upcycling at Scale with Steven Bethell
I met Steven Bethell at the Re/Worked Circular Design Summit last month. He was one of the panelists and we quickly realized we had a mutual respect for each others work. He owns a second hand clothing collection business, 13 vintage stores in London and has been doing upcycled production at scale for the last 10 years! He's not just running a business, he is genuinely interested in making a difference and helping keep stuff out of landfills.
Using existing material from the linear waste stream as an input to new manufacturing is the fastest way to achieve carbon neutrality and circularity in fashion. This workshop will explain the importance of industrial-scale upcycling and how it can become a definitive part of the fashion landscape.
Mentioned in this workshop:
Intro: Who is Bank and Vogue, Beyond Retro and BVH Services and what do they do.
Textile Hierarchy - Resale, Repair, Upcycle, Down-Cycle.
Their upcycling process
Bespoke Vs Scale
The future of upcycling at scale and its impact on the future of fashion
Over the past 25 years, along with his family, Steven has been motivated by a strong sense of environmental stewardship. Keen to find the fastest route to carbon neutrality, he utilizes his unique expertise and passion on used clothing to find innovative and relevant solutions for the crisis of stuff.
By founding a group of companies that specialize in secondhand wholesale, vintage retail and innovations in sustainable fashion, Steven leads the Bank and Vogue Group, which sees opportunity, not waste, in used clothing, and encourages a more circular economy for the global fashion landscape.
Bank and Vogue unlocks the potential of used clothing, and as one of the largest full-service brokers of used goods from North America, delivers consistent value to over 40 markets globally. Last year alone, Bank & Vogue diverted over 90 million pounds of used goods and store returns.
Our retail arm, Beyond Retro, is a leading vintage fashion powerhouse in Europe, inspiring individuality in a sustainable way for a myriad of customer demographics and staking its claim alongside the biggest names in high street and luxury fashion.
Our innovation hub, BVH Services, works to spearhead and develop groundbreaking innovations across the fashion field, aiming for a more sustainable future for the industry. From circular design to refibre technology, the team creates profitable and inspiring sustainable solutions for their clients, and collaborative, circular models that benefit both people and the planet.
In his spare time Steven lives off the grid in the Canadian wilderness. He is an avid woodsman: fishing, paddling, and learning about the outdoors and it's many wonders.
FREE GUIDE to Finding Upcycled Materials
How to Find Upcycled Materials and NOT Get Lost in the Process
"Noor's List": 25 + sources from around the world to find UPCYCLED materials
Enter your email to receive your FREE DOWNLOAD
Comments