upcycle
verb [ I or T ] /ˈʌpˌsaɪ.kəl/ /ˈʌpˌsaɪ.kəl/
to make new objects, furniture, etc. out of old or used things or waste material.
At Tallis we’ve always loved being able to offer our customers a bespoke service. As a brand that hand-makes its products, we can get creative about the pieces we make for our customers and nothing makes us happier than seeing our customers purchase a product they love and will cherish forever.
At the core of our brand’s values, we also have an unwavering commitment to reusing and recycling materials to minimise waste and we source materials according to this principle. We were therefore delighted to be of help when a good friend and long-term Tallis fan, Emma Main, contacted us with a dilemma. She had shrunk her favourite cashmere jumper and wanted to know if it could be made in to something else. “Of course” we cried, “if you love it, upcycle it!”. So we began making a plan to remake her favourite jumper into something new.
“It was one of those cosy jumpers that I stumbled across and bought in the spur of the moment, thinking a splash of pink cashmere would be the answer to a grey winter day. Low and behold, it became my favorite, go-to jumper… the one you take when you only have space for one jumper in the suitcase. It’s been to three continents, it saw me through many a winter in the Alps, it’s been a blanket for my sick daughter Poppy on a long-haul flight… And then I shrunk it. I was too attached to give it away” - Emma
Luckily for Emma, we have a fair bit of experience with cashmere jumpers... she'd come to the right place!
We make beanies using cashmere that is fashion-industry surplus such as vintage or damaged cashmere jumpers just waiting to be reused! Our colleague and miracle worker, Faith Jennings, upcycles this waste cashmere into beautiful, luxurious hats, using her wealth or experience and expertise. That’s why all the hats in our range are special. Each with its own story to tell, no two cashmere hats are exactly the same.
So together we made Emma’s beloved jumper into matching pompom hats for her and Poppy and needless to say, they are as cherished as the jumper was itself.
“Tallis gave my beloved jumper a new lease of life - matching hats for my daughter and I. We love them! Thank you Tallis.”
It is the belief of the Fashion Revolution movement (www.fashionrevolution.org), that “95% of discarded clothing can be recycled or upcycled” and we at Tallis want to discourage as many people as possible from throwing away good quality clothes just because they are out of date or damaged. Buy good quality that lasts because it’s quite simple; if you love it, you’ll upcycle it.
