INTERVIEW #137 DANIELLA DAWKINS

Name: Dani Dawks

Occupation:  Master Upcycyler 

Based in: London, England

Website: shopdifa.co.uk

Instagram: @isitdanidawks 

Hi! Welcome to A Sustainable Closet, can you tell us more about yourself?

Hi I’m Daniella but socially I go by Dani Dawks. I’m a Master Upcyclers. Most people would never have heard of the phrase Master upcycler and neither had I before I gave myself the title but basically, it just means I’m a Master at Upcycling nothing into something magnificent and making the Unwearable Wearable. I’m mostly recognised for my Ikea Upcycle which went Viral and got me highly noticed. 

What’s your relationship with clothes, when did you get interested?

My relationship with clothes is that I absolutely believe that our clothes impact our Energy and our Vibe. It's so important to love your style and vibe so that you can be more impactful to yourself and your world. I feel like this relationship with connecting with my style came about when I was about 20 and started studying Performing arts. I started recreating and upcycling the clothes I had because I was not loving them as they were but I still loved the design that was on the garment.

How would you describe your style in three words?

I would describe my style as Exhilarating, Energising and Extra. 

Can you tell us more about when you started to upcycle clothes?

During my time studying performing arts, I fell in love with 70’s and 80s fashion. So off-the-shoulder tops and leg warmers etc. During that time I couldn't find the items in the shop that I wanted to wear so I created them instead. I would cut my jumpers to make them into off-shoulder tops and cut the arms of jumpers so I could wear them as leg warmers. This helped me create the style I wanted to vibe in.

How can one get started, it looks so hard but how can a remake be done in a fun and simple way?

It is so easy to start on a journey of upcycling. Here are some examples of ways to get into upcycling. 

• Have an idea of what your style is. Use platforms like Pinterest to save styles you like.

• Look at clothes you already own that you want to remake and use that as a template. 

• Not all upcycles require sewing but if they do and you want to learn to sew I offer virtual or one-to-one sewing lessons in my northwest London studio. 

• Don’t overthink the process. Have fun with it. It isn't as hard as it looks.

Can one buy your designs or how can one otherwise join the work that you do?

Absolutely my designs can be bought. Most people will see something I’ve made via my transition videos and if they want it and are my size they can buy it as is, otherwise, we will go through the process of tailor-making their own version for them with their own items or item and fabric I already have.