INTERVIEW #111 LÆRKE DRAMSHØJ

Name: Lærke Dramshøj

Based in: Borås/Copenhagen

Occupation: fashion designer specialising in recycling

Instagram: @laerkedramshoej

Hi Laerke! What a lovely name! We’re so happy to have you on A Sustainable Closet, please tell us about your relationship with clothes, how do you consume your clothes? 

I often see clothes as material. As something that can be upgraded or remade to make it more desirable.  Clothing is also a way of saying who you are without really saying anything and also something to have fun with!

Where do you source the material from and what can the process look like? 

I source garments in secondhand shops and receive donations for remake/upcycling. The purpose of my designs is to allow a reconstructed garment to be reversed/transformed back to its original form if desired and by keeping its original value and thus making its sustainable potential higher. I simply don’t cut in the garments, making my process 100% zero waste.

The traditional approach to recycling, for example recycling a blanket into a jacket, means that its usage and function as a blanket ends. I want to explore how end-uses of garments can be changed and renewed in the process and final result.  

I want my designs to foster new ways of thinking and working in the field of recycling and garment reconstruction. The whole idea is that by simply taking apart a stitch and restitching a garment can be made and remade repeatedly, covering several of the basic needs in a traditional wardrobe. The lifetime of a garment should be regarded as a loop where updates to the garment can be made during its lifespan to keep the garment from never ending up as unwanted or discarded.

Are you selling your masterpieces? 

Yes, I am starting to sell through Instagram, THE ALTERIST and joining a rental platform in Copenhagen in the fall.

Where do you find inspiration?

In everything, architecture, movies, nature and everyday life.

Favourite stores and brands to shop from? 

98% of my own wardrobe consists of secondhand garments, so it was, therefore, natural to use pre-used garments as the material for my designs and I think Sweden has some of the best secondhand shops I've been in.

What is a sustainable closet for you? 

A sustainable closet consists mostly of thrift finds or garments that have big emotional value and aesthetic appeal and therefore are something the owner will treasure for a long time.

What do you think about the fashion industry in general? 

Clothing in most parts of human history was as disposable as it is in today’s society. Right now, I think more clothes are produced than what is needed.   

There is a need for changes in the fashion industry regarding how we produce and make use of garments. If a garment changes during its life cycle it is often seen as an unwanted quality. The question my design hopefully raises is: what if changeability, instead, is seen as the greatest asset of the garments? If the garment would interchange depending on the wearer’s requirements and needs. This new originality and reinventing narratives in the new garments, that this method proposes, can potentially lead to a connection between wearer and garments and create value and the potential to change the mindset of how we all consume fashion. The job of the sustainable designer in the future could mean creating personal fashion services, DIY workshops and custom-made fashion designs, guiding consumers to revalue their mindset around impulsive garment buying and disposal practices, through an emotional connection to a 2-1 garment that has multiple garments embedded in the construction, thus are designed to be disassembled into new renewal cycles and to fulfil consumers ever-changing needs.

A customer could for example want to recycle a beloved item that is in the need of an upgrade due to being outdated in style and cut.

This sustainable design method proposes a way to address fast fashion overproduction, by taking what has already been produced and changing the wearability of the chosen material by using print as starting point for the process, thus fostering new more intelligent and ethical ways of using textile waste. Currently, only 1% of used clothing is recycled by being turned into new clothing, a process known as “material to material” recycling.

What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet? 

Buy more second hand garments and buy from small slow fashion brands and always question how and where something is produced. There is so much greenwashing happening right now, but there will soon be new EU laws regarding greenwashing and misleading customers. Also always ask yourself these questions: Would I really wear this a lot? Do I have something very similar? Does it suit me? Also, think in terms of outfits when you go shopping.