Transforming t-shirts with a minimalist cut

The very first garment created using this method was a t-shirt. The approach was deliberately naive: cutting a simple t-shirt shape from the front of two existing t-shirts. Like a trompe-l'œil, almost childlike, it evoked a simplified view of pattern making.

The cut pieces are then swapped. Each t-shirt thus becomes a hybrid of two different garments, blending a front and a back from two distinct textile histories. Two garments become a duo, two pieces that continue to exist separately while remaining linked by their construction.

Mix and match clothes to create unique combinations

The linked garments are made from carefully selected second-hand clothing. Certain fragments are exchanged, moved, and recomposed to create a new piece.

The result is never perfectly symmetrical, nor completely smooth. These variations—in color, proportions, and seams—are not flaws, but the signature of each upcycled garment. They bear witness to the transformation of the original garment and the creative process. Nothing is standardized: each pair has its own variations and becomes a unique piece.

You can discover the different models of "related clothing" t-shirts currently available in the shop.

Applying an upcycling concept in several forms

Over time, the concept evolved and adapted to other forms. After t-shirts, sweatshirts were treated differently: no longer by cutting one sweatshirt shape from another, but by playing with stripes. Plain sweatshirts become striped thanks to the exchange of fabric strips between two pieces.

Today, the work goes further. The trousers and garments are completely redesigned. The trompe-l'œil cut of the trousers remains, but the cut is now conceived independently of the original garments, to fully match the style and design requirements of the brand.

The new t-shirts also follow this trend. More oversized, they sometimes require cutting from more than two pieces: black t-shirts form the main duo, complemented by white t-shirts that elongate and reshape the silhouette. This interplay of colors accentuates the trompe-l'œil effect and highlights the mix of original garments.

Traditional techniques applied to upcycled clothing

Each piece can incorporate different artisanal techniques that enrich the garment. Embroidery, screen printing, or dyeing extend the transformation process and give the textile a new identity.

The first t-shirts, for example, were bleached using folding techniques inspired by Japanese Shibori, creating unique patterns. Other pieces feature embroidery done in pairs, as a mark of recognition between two related garments.

The labels—memories of my childhood—coexist with those of the original garments, deliberately left visible. They appear as traces, fragments of textile history that continue to live on in a new creation.