From Trash to Runway

The new book and e-book From Trash To Runway, written by Dan Pontarlier, is about to hit libraries and online stores in the month of January, both in English and Spanish (coming soon in French and Italian). 

According to Lucy Siegle’s quote, the renowned author of the book ‘To Die For’ and part of the documentary ‘The True Cost’, “in order to defeat the linear take-make-and-waste model of living that wreaks such havoc on the planet’s life-sustaining resources, we need visionaries. These are those individuals pragmatic and skilled enough to coach us in how to adapt, but also exciting enough to inspire us to ditch our safety net. Dan Pontarlier is that person for fashion. He makes upcycled fashion aspirational and accessible to everyone.”

The book primarily aims to generate awareness for the reader based on the total amount of clothes men and women buy and accumulate unused in their closets. It also discusses consumption habits in the fashion world, how the business of cheap clothing and fast fashion has grown in recent years, and why; as well as the negative implications related to clothes donations and other important statistics in reference to the fashion industry. 

Photo by: @eddnalewis & @xgguillamon

Upcycling brands and emerging fashion designers are also mentioned in the book as inspirational minds. And even though it is made clear in the book that pattern making, design, and sewing are not deeply explained, it gives advice to the reader in an easy way to be able to accomplish the goal of turning their wardrobe upside down. 

The book contains useful information for the everyday user, those that are not tailors or garment-makers, to be able to understand the design and the creative processes; as well as tips for sketching and pattern making. 

Dan Pontarlier believes that

“even though a lot of people are starting to be more aware of their decisions when buying clothes, we are still living in a linear system that we know has to be circular”.

Photo by: @eddnalewis & @xgguillamon

One of the most important parts of the book focuses on selecting unused items from the wardrobe to turn into new ones. This happens through a process of creation, which is carefully explored, and where, for example, the differences between elastic and non-elastic fabrics and the different fabrics that make up a garment are superficially explained.

The author also releases a section of fabric sources and other elements and exclusively takes into consideration the design aspects to give a more special touch to the garments. 

The heart of the book From Trash To Runway is composed of 20 unique upcycling designs made by the author, including the reason behind the making and the inspiration, the materials used, the process, and drawings of the final pieces.

Also, the great news is the collaboration with Forest Nation: for every book sold, a tree will be planted in Haiti, besides the 500 trees the author has just planted. A way to contribute to the well-being of society and the environment.

Following a QR code that the book includes, readers have access to a digital area where they can check more facts about sustainability in the fashion industry, extensive details for patterning and sewing, real pictures of the pieces created, and even a list per country of secondhand stores -so the complimentary fabric that the reader might need, would come from reused clothing, to decrease the impact on the environment-.  

As quoted by the renowned Lucy Siegle

this is not just a project for a rainy day, it’s a new way of thinking”.

Photo by: @eddnalewis & @xgguillamon


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