Meet the Luton designer turning trash into fashion
A designer from Luton is transforming household waste into creative and wearable clothing, proving that fashion doesn't have to cost the earth.
Alphy Roy uses items from everyday household waste, like plastic bottles, that would otherwise go to landfill to make unique pieces.
Whether it's repurposing unconventional material or sewing together old jeans, the 24-year-old uses her fashion degree from the University of Bedfordshire to create one-of-a-kind fashion.
She explained: “Even from a really young age, I always kept every bit of rubbish I had... always thinking I would make something with it.”
Her creations include a waterproof bucket hat made from vinyl and tea bags, and a gilet made from old crisp packets.
On her TikTok account, she shows how she took a dress and reimagined it as a three-piece set, breathing new life into old fabric.
While she still uses age-old methods, like crochet, Alphy has turned to reworking things she already has to make sure she doesn't contribute to the fast-fashion problem.
She said: "I thought, ‘Maybe I can do something with literally what's in our houses,’ and that way I don't even have to go out of my way to buy new fabric and waste more fabric and more money.”
Trying to break into an already competitive industry, Alphy looked for inspiration closer to home: "Instead of actually chasing for these big companies to do an internship... I decided to focus on my own projects, using materials I already had at home instead of buying new fabric."
Denim is an item that can be found in most wardrobes as a timeless pair of jeans or jacket. Alphy was determined to create a dramatic cape made out of the fabric to highlight the harmfulness of fashion disposability and the ‘throw-away’ culture born out of the fast fashion era.
She explained: "Denim is really harmful... every day, people are throwing away so many clothes... if nobody buys it, or there's a tiny hole, it’s going to the bins."
With plans to launch a small capsule collection entirely made from upcycled materials, Alphy is not mass-producing her pieces, but she is selling them and taking custom orders.
She added: “I’m really open to people buying my stuff, and even custom orders.”
You can find more about her here.