Edmonton designers upcycles old clothes to keep them out of landfill

Chantal Duval likes buying used clothes. She makes it her hobby to go to thrift stores once every four months.

Seeing the value of thrifting, Duval started Welded Hangers as a consignment store with a few upcycled clothing options. That changed when she moved from online to a retail store in Whyte Avenue in March.

“This one designer joined me from near the beginning, and so she introduced me to upcycle clothing, and then once I moved here, that rack just kept selling out, and so from a business standpoint, when you look at those numbers, it’s like okay – there’s something here,” said Duval.

Instead of just selling second-hand clothes, Welded Hangers offers well-designed apparel using pieces of discarded garments with the help of local designers, giving new life to clothes that are damaged or stained.

“You know it’s cool. I don’t know how else to say, like this piece here, this was an old Ikea curtain. Look what she’s done with it this. What do you do with your curtains after you’re done with them? Like you buy new ones, right? You can make a jacket out of it, a really cool one,” said Duval.

According to a 2023 research study at the University of Waterloo, more than 500,000 tons of textiles are being wasted every year. An environmental expert says that while upcycling is one way to reduce waste, this depends on how much textile is being produced compared to being upcycled.

“Not all people like to shop at thrift stores, and they like the idea of wearing new pieces of clothes instead of used ones. So that’s more of like a psychological factor, but it’s a combination of factors that exist in this area,” explained Sergey Ishutov, Earth and Environmental Sciences at Concordia University of Edmonton.

Duval says it is another way to add more fashion to your closet and keep textile waste out of landfills. And helping local designers express creativity and art through clothing.

“I think if this is an avenue that can help make a difference in an already messy situation, then I’ll take it,” said Duval. “There’s tremendous talent here, and I think it needs to be showcased.”