Creating new life for old clothes

Denim jeans are being turned into skirts and cotton tee shirts recycled into yarn for crochet at Textile ResQ that has so far rescued several hundred kilograms of clothing from landfill.

The volunteer group meet twice a week in their Stoke workshop where they wade through piles of clothing that has not sold at the Nelson Tasman Hospice Op Shop on Saxton. Garments are repaired or upcycled to keep them out of landfill, with the added bonus of being more saleable.

Sylvia Huxtable instigated the group which now has a team of volunteers using their creative skills to make “unique fashion items” that go back into the hospice shop at Saxton. From October, their garments will be in the Nelson shop as well.

Each year, 45kgs of textiles per person goes into landfill in New Zealand, which includes materials from hospitals and hotels. Though the North Island has a recycling operation, most of the South Island’s textile waste goes to landfill. Sylvia’s team is working on doing their bit to reduce that, while encouraging others to do the same.

“We’re trying to send a message as well about the problems of fast fashion - this pair of pants you’re wearing is going to outlast you at the dump.”

Some of the garments they rescue simply need to be repaired or a button or two sewed on. Others need an overhaul and that may mean turning two pairs of jeans into one garment or cutting tee shirts up to make tee-shirt yarn that is rolled into balls and used for crochet.

“We’ve got knitters who take beautiful old jumpers apart and wash the wool and stretch it to make into something else.”

Apart from creating ‘new’ garments, the group turns material into toys, bags and even hot-water bottle covers. Leftover material creates children’s dresses or becomes funky patches on upcycled creations.

“We get a lot of mens’ shirts and turn them into big girls’ blouses.”

Sylvia says this is just the beginning.

“Theres’ so many directions we could go that it makes my head spin sometimes.”

One volunteer is working with Nelson College for Girls and Waimea College by donating jeans and tee shirts for students to try out their creative flair, while learning about the impact of fast fashion on the environment.

Some funding from Nelson City Council helped establish the group and it has partnered with Hospice and the Nelson Environment Centre.