Recycled, repurposed, and radical wearables modeled by members of Pussy Power House—L.A.’s hottest feminist art community
These photos feature clothes and accessories made by independent designers who are using sustainable and repurposed materials to make new pieces. From IRISHLATINA’s “Waste Not” collection, made entirely from thrifted T-shirts and Hawaiian shirts, to my own bottle-cap necklaces, we are starting a conversation through fashion about over-consumption. In an age of fast fashion and food packaged in single-use plastic, at what point do we look at ourselves and ask: Have we gone too far?
Each designer showcased here is innovating new ways to create fresh fashion with reclaimed materials. Look closely and you’ll see that everything is made from post-consumer waste (plastic, single-use packaging used for food and drinks), pre-consumer waste (fabric scraps from the cutting-room floors of factories or deadstock fabrics), and other upcycled materials, such as used clothing. This is a call to action. Let’s all reconsider our consumer habits and start supporting new ways to design and buy.
By Corinne Loperfido, pussypowerhouse.org
Photographed by Léone Julitte
Styled by Corinne Loperfido
MODELS: CORINNE LOPERFIDO @CORINNELOPERFIDO; NENAH BONDI @O0NENAH0O; LIZZY JEFF @LIZZYJEFF; RE’SHELL BROWN @RESHELL.BROWN; FELICIA BURKLEY @GODDESS.ADORNED; SARA NOE @WOOCHIEBABYLOVESYOU; SARA DEBEVEC @DEBEVECSARA; DEZZY F. BABY @DIEZAVEL.
LOCATION: HAUNTED SHACK GARDENS BY SHRINE @SHRINEON.
ON LIZZY: IRISHLATINA JACKET MADE FROM USED JERSEYS; CORINNE LOPERFIDO WEED WOMAN EARRINGS; TOP AND OTHER JEWELRY: MODEL’S OWN.
ON RE’SHELL: IGGY SOLIVEN OUTFIT MADE FROM DEADSTOCK FABRIC; CORINNE LOPERFIDO CHESTPIECE MADE FROM BOTTLE CAPS; TABITHA OTT BRACELETS MADE FROM SINGLE-USE PLASTICS; BOOK: WASTE MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION EDITED BY KARIN M. EKSTRÖM; GLASSES, SHOES, AND SOCKS: STYLIST’S OWN. ON LIZZY: IRISHLATINA DRESS MADE FROM OLD T-SHIRTS; CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACE MADE FROM BOTTLE CAPS; TABITHA OTT CHESTPIECE MADE FROM SINGLE-USE PLASTICS; BOOK: GONE TOMORROW: THE HIDDEN LIFE OF GARBAGE BY HEATHER ROGERS; BINDI, EARRINGS, LEGGINGS, AND SHOES: MODEL’S OWN.
ON CORINNE: IRISHLATINA DRESS MADE FROM OLD T-SHIRTS; WOLVEN THREADS TOP MADE FROM RECYCLED BOTTLE FABRIC; JUANA DE ARCO LEGGINGS MADE IN A ZERO-WASTE FACTORY; CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACE AND BELT MADE FROM BOTTLE CAPS; TABITHA OTT EARRINGS AND BRACELETS MADE FROM SINGLE-USE PLATICS; SARA NOE HANDPAINTED UPCYCLED SHOES; GLASSES AND NOSERING: MODEL’S OWN.
JUANA DE ARCO BRA AND LEGGINGS MADE IN A ZERO-WASTE FACTORY; NEON ZINN ROPE NECKLACE; CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACE MADE FROM BOTTLE CAPS AND UPCYCLED CHAIN BELT.
TABITHA OTT BRACELETS MADE FROM SINGLE-USE PLASTICS.
ON CORINNE: MEAGAN BOYD PAINTED VINTAGE JACKET; CORINNE LOPERFIDO STRETCH PANTS; SNASH JEWELRY RING; DESERT FLOWER DESIGNERS WRISTLET; EDDY BROS. VINTAGE HAT.
CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACES MADE FROM BOTTLE CAPS; WOLVEN THREADS TOP AND BOTTOM MADE FROM RECYCLED BOTTLE FABRIC; BELLY CHAIN: MODEL’S OWN.
[LEFT TO RIGHT] ON SARA N.: IRISHLATINA TOP AND SKIRT; CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACES; TABITHA OTT EARRINGS; JUANA DE ARCO HEAD WRAP; GLASSES, SHOES, AND SOCKS: MODEL’S OWN. ON FELICIA [SECOND FROM LEFT]: WOLVEN THREADS TOP AND LEGGINGS; IRISHLATINA JACKETS; CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACES; TABITHA OTT EARRINGS; GLASSES AND SHOES: STYLIST’S OWN. ON SARA D. [SECOND FROM RIGHT]: CECILIA ECHENIQUE WRAP DRESS MADE FROM FABRIC SCRAPS; IRISHLATINA JACKET; CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACE AND EARRINGS; JUANA DE ARCO HEAD WRAP; SHOES : MODEL’S OWN. ON DEZZY [FAR RIGHT]: IRISHLATINA TOP AND JACKET; CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACE AND BELT; SHOES AND STRETCH PANTS: MODEL’S OWN.
ON FELICIA: WOLVEN THREADS TOP; IRISHLATINA JACKETS; CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACES; TABITHA OTT EARRINGS; GLASSES: STYLIST’S OWN; NOSERING AND BELLY CHAIN: MODEL’S OWN.
ON FELICIA: WOLVEN THREADS TOP; IRISHLATINA JACKETS; CORINNE LOPERFIDO NECKLACES; TABITHA OTT EARRINGS; GLASSES: STYLIST’S OWN; NOSERING AND BELLY CHAIN: MODEL’S OWN.
TOP PHOTO: ON NENAH: IRISHLATINA SHIRT MADE FROM OLD T-SHIRTS; TABITHA OTT NECKLACE MADE FROM TRASH; JUANA DE ARCO NECKLACE MADE FROM FABRIC SCRAPS; GLASSES: STYLIST’S OWN; NOSERING: MODEL’S OWN.
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2018 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
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