How did you get into upcycling?
I inherited my love of sewing from the women in my life. My grandmother taught my mother to sew, and my mother taught me. I started sewing my own clothes as a teenager, but buying new fabric from chain stores was expensive and often out of reach. One day, while I was making a dress to wear to a friend’s wedding, I decided to use a vintage curtain I purchased from a thrift store instead of traditional fabric. I loved how unique this made the dress, plus the use of second hand textiles had the added benefit of being eco-friendly. It was then that my love of upcycling began. In 2019, I took my love of sewing and upcycling to the next level by starting my business Sew Minimal. Ever since then, I have been sewing one of a kind upcycled garments full time and I’m incredibly grateful I get to do what I love every day.
What makes Sew Minimal different than other ethical + sustainable brands?
Many sustainable clothing brands focus on textile production such as organic cotton or bamboo. Although these textiles may be more environmentally friendly than polyester or conventional cotton, they still require copious amounts of water and resources to produce. There are also a growing number of brands that process used materials, such as plastic water bottles, into new fabric. While this is an admirable effort, recycling discarded bottles into fabric is a resource intensive process that results in microplastics being dispelled into our oceans.
Sew Minimal strictly reuses textiles that already exist without the need of any additional processing. By using only up-cycled fabrics, Sew Minimal is not contributing to the over abundance of textiles that is such a problem for our planet.
So you reuse fabrics - that's great! What about packaging?
Glad you asked! All of our packaging is also sustainable and upcycled. Each Sew Minimal tag and business card is made from reused cardboard boxes, and we attach the tags to our items using string and chord we purchase second hand. All of the shopping bags we use at in-person events are made from 100% post consumer material, and the mailers we use to ship our orders are biodegradable and reusable.