Upcycling. Say what? More and more companies are using this term nowadays. Not really surprising; upcycling does not only get more meaning on paper, but also in daily life. At Fraenck we are also guilty - in a good way - of upcycling. How? By working with upcycled materials. But before we start throwing around this definition any more, we would like to explain to you what we mean by upcycling and how we use it at Fraenck.

Not so long ago, hardly anyone seemed to have heard of upcycling. However, the term was introduced in 1994 by Reiner Pilz from Pilz GmbH - a family company active in the field of industrial automation. In the past, upcycling was mainly practised in the industrial sector, but with the call for sustainability, upcycling is increasingly finding its way into other sectors. Including in the fashion industry.

Upcycling

If we are to believe the all-rounder Oxford English Dictionary, upcycling is a non-existent word. Nothing could be further from the truth. The word upcycling does not only sound like, three syllables one word, but also sounds as if we are giving more value to something. And that is true. With upcycling, a waste product is reused, but you give the original raw material more value. At Fraenck, upcycling also means the creative reuse of used materials or waste - little sidenote: we are talking about waste like canvas and artificial leather, not green waste. - And then turn them into a new, hot fashion item.

Upcycling vs. Recycling

Now we hear you thinking: But isn't that just recycling? The answer: yes and no. Upcycling is a form of recycling. Whereas recycling means reuse in the broadest sense of the word, upcycling is specifically the recycling of unused scraps. For example, offcuts or manufactured materials for which no buyer can be found.

Fashion accessories

That is exactly what we do at Fraenck. We upcycle. We turn used and leftover materials into new fashion items. Good for people and the environment. Fraenck enriches its bags with upcycled trimmings from a sail-making company and leftover artificial leather. So our bags are not just bags, they are bags in which waste products are upcycled and look more beautiful than ever. We give materials a second life. Check out our shop for all the items we make from them.