upcycled

Photo: Courtesy of Miu Miu
Miu Miu has furthered its upcycling initiative this season with a limited edition of leather jackets that were specially created and showcased on the Fall/Winter 2022 runway. In line with the Italian fashion house’s ideologies on sustainability and extending the lives of pre-owned clothing, Miu Miu set on to create not more than 50 jackets, with each one carefully retrieved from vintage markets across the world. They were then taken to the Miu Miu ateliers to be reworked and refashioned dedicatedly by hand.
Photo: Courtesy of Miu Miu
With this drop, Miu Miu also aims to challenge how the leather jacket’s perception has always been linked to the predominantly male subculture and rebel youth. To that end, the jackets are rendered with feminine elements all over, which also reflect the fashion house’s codes, such as 1920s-inspired collars, floral and crystal embellishments, python-print leather, and satin ribbon trim. The accompanying campaign continues to play with the connotation with a cast featuring actors and model Ever Anderson, Esther McGregor, and Mame Bineta Sane posing alongside shiny vintage motorcycles, gleaming metal, and inky rubber, in an urban subway.
Photo: Courtesy of Miu Miu
The Upcycled by Miu Miu project debuted in 2020, and also falls in line with Miuccia Prada’s other sustainability initiatives, such as the Prada Re-Nylon collection. The limited edition jackets arrive in the UAE this month, and will be available exclusively at the Miu Miu boutique in Fashion Avenue, The Dubai Mall.
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Seven out the 80 unique dresses at the Miu Miu boutique at The Dubai Mall. Photo: Courtesy of Miu Miu

Anyone who loves sourcing vintage clothing knows that wearing an item with history is a feeling unlike any other. Vintage finds are also the building blocks of a sustainable wardrobe, and when upcycled, can be pieces to treasure forever. Miuccia Prada is of the same mind, as she continues to champion sustainable fashion with the Upcycled by Miu Miu collection.
It is made up of 80 one-off vintage dresses that are reworked while still keeping the “memory” of the originals intact by preserving the fabric. The dresses are anonymous finds from the 30s and 80s, carefully sourced from vintage clothing stores and markets around the world. Every piece was then transformed as per the Miu Miu DNA, reflected in the use of the brand’s signature collar, bows, and embellishments. No two dresses are the same, and this is ensured by the painstaking hand-work on each of the pieces.

The collection is available across nine selected Miu Miu stores worldwide, however, seven out of the 80 dresses are being sold exclusively at the label’s boutique in Fashion Avenue, The Dubai Mall throughout February. If a shopper wishes to buy a dress outside of of the local selection, the boutique offers the option of placing a special order and then transferring the piece.
The designs were unveiled towards the end of 2020, following the sustainability initiatives of a number of designers and labels including Maison Margiela’s upcycled ‘Recicla’ pieces, Gabriela Hearst’s appointment as Chloé’s creative director, and Coach’s reworked 70s bags to name a few. The collection is also one of Mrs Prada’s steps in maintaining a circular fashion system, with the designer launching the Prada Re-Nylon collection in 2019, which used econyl — a regenerated-nylon yarn crafted from reclaimed ocean plastics, and fishing nets.
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