[Tanja’s Eco Chic] Going WYLDE & modern with upcycled vintage fashion gems

Hello dear UrbanMeisters,
Welcome back to Tanja’s Eco Chic – a place where our green fashion and lifestyle expert Tanja handpicks eco fashion trends for you during the first week of every month. Are you ready for the September fashion feature! Here goes – say hello to a fascinating French brand that truly masters the art of upcycling with vintage fashion finds!
 

WYLDE : Words – Youth – Love – Dust – Echoes

During this year’s Fashion Revolution Week in April, we discovered the creative sustainable fashion brand WYLDE in Paris. Inspired by music, art and urban culture, WYLDE predominantly works with its best vintage fashion finds, transforming them into unique and modern fashion pieces. WYLDE stands for Words – Youth – Love – Dust – Echoes; all key elements that influence Clarissa Acario’s clothing line. The green fashion designer truly believes that an ethical fashion world is possible and sets a fantastic example with her own Paris-based brand. On the WYLDE website, Clarissa and her team list an ethical chart  that outlines the green conditions that the company stands for. Clarissa has Brazilian roots and learned about styling in Belo Horizonte. Yet, since 2013, the WYLDE brand reiterates Clarissa’s love for Paris with its French touch!

 
WYLDE truly demonstrates that eco fashion is à la mode and anything but ordinary. The DNA of the brand is its contemporary style with graphic patterns and a touch of rock. Have a look for yourself:


 

Conscious chic

A strong believer in eco-fashion, every item of WYLDE is either recycled or upcycled. That definitely sounds very sustainable, doesn’t it? But what exactly is the difference? Let’s break it down!
We are probably all more familiar with the idea of recycling: That is, reusing materials and fabrics to create a new garment. For the last three years, Clarissa opts for the recycling procedure that allows her to create Limited Edition eco-collections for WYLDE. Look out for the exciting new gems of the upcoming Autumn/Winter collection 16/17 ‘An Other Way’ and the Spring/Summer collection 2017 ‘Look at the Sky’. With these collections, WYLDE is the first French brand to develop an entire eco-friendly wardrobe. Whether you’re looking for an oversized blouse, a pair of jeans, mini skirts or a coat – WYLDE Vintage has got you covered!

 
But as the brand name already indicates, WYLDE offers much more than that. Whereas her collection comes to life with the help of recycled yarns and a handful of artists, Clarissa upcycles high-quality vintage finds by transforming these into unique pieces. In other words, the idea of upcycling is to reuse second hand clothing items to create a product of higher value. The rebirth of the unique WYLDE pieces is quite literally second hand, as all clothing items are carefully handcrafted with love. Embroidery, zippers, lace and leather patches are all tools that make this transformation possible. And like the collections, all of the unique pieces by WYLDE are inspired by the Parisian street style.

 
After learning about the WYLDE magic, we decided to give it a go ourselves. During a DIY workshop that Clarissa hosted at the Parisian pop-up store The Green Shop, Tanja upcycled her old jeans into stylish hot pants! These shorts definitely saved her from the heat all summer long.

 

Made in France

Just like these summer shorts, all WYLDE items are Made In France. Starting from the design, creation, fabric sourcing to the manufacturing stage – The whole process of WYLDE Vintage products takes place in Paris and its outskirts. For starters, WYLDE believes in the local French savoir-faire. And economically as well as geographically speaking, the company trusts in a shorter production cycle, which allows WYLDE to keep an eye on the entire process. Enthusiastic about revolutionizing the status quo of today’s fashion world, Clarissa personally chooses environment friendly textile producers that work with sustainable fabrics and high quality garments.


 
The WYLDE unique pieces and collections are available at the brand’s very own e-shop or on the green website ShopEtik. For a more close up and personal shopping experience, look out for pop-up stores in France, as well as around Europe: Just last weekend, WYLDE took part at the WHO’S NEXT Premiere Classe green village event in Paris which we reviewed earlier this week. At the end of the year, you will catch Clarissa in London and at the beginning of the next in the eco-capital Berlin (know why we feel it’s the ultimate eco-fashion capital)!
 
So, dear readers, now it’s your turn! The next time you’re about to throw away an old t-shirt or a worn-out pair of jeans, think twice! With a bit of magic and inspiration, you could create your very own upcycled unique fashion item – a personalized and eco-friendly piece that makes you stand out from the crowd. Any DIY tips? We’d love to hear from you!
Thank you WYLDE Vintage and Mode Estime for the images.