REVITALIZED SPORTEES – CURATOR – JDADA2019

“Upcycling adds value by transforming or reinventing an otherwise disposable item into something of higher quality.”

—- WILLIAM MCDONOUGH —-

Designers Deeksha M Jain and Sonal R’s collection “Revitalized Sportees” draws inspiration from bright colours and shapes present in nature. The name of the collection is derived from “revitalize” which means imbue (something) with new life and vitality and “Sportees” is an amalgamation of Sporty and T-shirts (Tees). The designers have created a line of sporty casuals by upcycling old t-shirts and t-shirt dresses by giving them a new lease of life.

The garments of the collection are bright sporty casual wear upcycled from old t-shirts and t-shirt dresses made out of combed cotton fabric. Cotton was a choice of fabric, as it is known to absorb upto 27 times its own weight in water. 2700 litres of water is required to create a single cotton t-shirt, which is equivalent to the amount of water an individual can consume in 3 years. Also, when cotton materials are dumped in landfills it takes anywhere between 1 – 5 months to disintegrate. Dumping in landfills causes hazardous emissions that contribute to global warming. Hence, inorder to conserve water and save the environment, it is advisable to upcycle as it extends the life of the clothing and helps to reduce consumption of water, waste and carbon foot prints by around 20-30%.

Techniques like pleating, braiding, pin-tucks, basket weave etc. used to create the collection, have been inspired by shapes in nature. The colours of the fabrics of the collection are hunter green, bumblebee yellow, royal blue and burgundy. The designers have used sustainable practices through upcycling of available old t-shirts and t-shirt dresses. They have introduced fabric manipulation through their collection which has not been attempted on sportswear.