What inspired me to start reusing clothes and fabrics.
In 2020, I found myself once again standing in the local fabric store, wondering how it’s possible that so many new fabrics are constantly being produced. Isn’t it just like fast fashion? Every trend brings a store full of new textiles. But what happens to the fabric that’s produced but never sold?
Sure, I see a bargain corner filled with last season’s trendy fabrics, but what about the rest?
Unsold fabrics are categorized as deadstock. There’s now a thriving market for it, though not always transparent, but that’s a story for another blog. Back in that fabric store in 2020, I felt a wave of sadness. Aren’t we already drowning in textile waste? Images of beaches covered in discarded clothing flashed through my mind.
I’ve always been a supporter of sustainability and second-hand. I have always spent a lot of time and love creating my own style. Apart from a few purchases at H&M, my fashion footprint has been fairly light.
But still, something gnawed at me. I felt the urge to do something about the textile problem.
And there, in that store, I made my decision. I looked around one last time and knew: I’m going to transform my sewing studio into a circular sewing studio. From now on, I’ll only work with existing materials. That means I’ll never again stand here feeling disheartened.
I remember that moment vividly — a sigh of relief and a flutter of excitement in my stomach. It was scary to change everything based on a gut feeling, but it felt so right.
The first pile of jeans I collected for upcycling. In the beginning I mainly made bags and caps.
Reusing wasn’t new to me, but sewing in batches was.
Studio Mullland, my circular sewing studio, was born. I registered it officially with the Chamber of Commerce and leaped into entrepreneurship.
Circular sewing and upcycling second-hand clothing weren’t new to me. I’ve been visiting thrift stores since I was sixteen. And if I found something I liked that didn’t fit, I’d alter it to make it work. I embroidered ivy and roses onto jackets and trousers, created bags from denim skirts and painted them, and even crafted my daughter’s first pair of jeans from the sleeves of my partner’s denim shirt, which I thought looked better sleeveless anyway.
What was new to me was creating small-scale collections from reused fabrics. Making bags from old jeans means spending hours cutting and puzzling to fit all the small pattern pieces as economically as possible. You don’t have large fabric panels; you work with pant legs. It’s a time-consuming process, and for someone who likes to work fast, it took some getting used to.
My first logo and workspace. It al started at a one by two worktable with a vintage sewingmachine.
Gradually, I started enjoying it more, especially when I realized I could play with different shades and textures like paint on a canvas. I became more skilled and faster, and the results were beautiful. When I began selling my creations, people responded positively.
That felt amazing; others appreciated my work and wanted to buy it. And that made me hungry for more. I want to design more, save more textiles (read: clothing) from ending up on beaches in Ghana, in Chili desert, or being burned as fuel in cold, impoverished regions.
Happily, more and more people around the world are waking up to the charm of second-hand fashion and the fun of giving clothes and fabrics a second life.
Playing with shades and prints, on the left the checkered bagpack and right the striped half moon bag.
Sustainable fashion, are you in?
Being stylish doesn't have to come at the expense of our planet. That is what I stand for and what has driven me all my life. Throughout my life, I’ve received compliments on my fashion sense, and yet, about 80% of my wardrobe came from thrift stores, later from platforms like Marktplaats and now Vinted.
It’s always been my way of escaping the mass-produced fashion trends. In the city where I grew up, it worked like this: one season, moss green was “in,” and every store was filled with racks of the same moss green clothing.
Thrift stores, on the other hand, were a delightful jumble of styles. I loved digging through them to find that one gem. Sometimes you’d find something great, other times nothing — and that’s okay. That unpredictability made it playful.
Whether your style is fashionable, chic, sporty, streetwear, or anything in between, you’ll find it second-hand. It just takes a bit longer to put together a full outfit.
Nowadays, even thrift stores are filled with fast fashion. And fast fashion is anything but sustainable. It’s made to be worn only a few times, falls apart quickly, and is often made from synthetic fabrics. When you discard a damaged polyester item, it takes over two hundred (!!) years to decompose. In comparison, a 100% cotton garment breaks down in just one to five months.
It’s great to see that more and more people around the world are waking up to the charm of second-hand fashion and the fun of giving clothes a second life. Even in my hometown, Zwolle, the number of thrift shops has tripled over the past few years. I love that these shops are thriving — all thanks to people who choose to build their wardrobe with pre-loved pieces. Besides this, there are more and more makers like myself who use used fabric and clothes to make new items. beautiful!
So, as I mentioned earlier, my fashion footprint is relatively small. The fact that I use other people’s discarded clothing to create beautiful, long-lasting pieces feels like a wonderful challenge. Do I get footprint bonus points for that? Or is that not how it works?
And what I am really curious about is what your thoughts are about fashion and sustainability? Do you also have small-scale world-improving projects?
This can be something as simple as separating your waste properly, which is already a great start. Did you know you can bring your clothes to thrift stores or local giveaway corners? Here in the Netherlands, we have containers where you can drop off clothing. But you could also swap or sell your clothes. Here in Zwolle, we even have special events for that, like the “Klerenzooimarkt” or the “Kledingruilfeestje.” We all share the same goal: reducing textile waste. And I absolutely love that!
Leave a comment, I'd really like to know.
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