Jackob Buczynski x Wtórpol

We have first encountered Jackob Buczyński during the recording of one of the episodes of ‘Top Model’, dedicated to second-hand clothes. It had been when the designer had visited the Warsaw second-hand clothing shop of the TekStylowo chain, owned by Wtórpol. Jackob Buczyński has been helping two of the participants of the programme to alter the clothes using tailoring machines, in such a way as to make them even more original. Then – during discussions about the second circulation of clothing – the idea of joining forces has been conceived. After all, the activities of Wtórpol and Jackob are aimed at the same thing – giving clothes a second life!

Initially, we have handed over 500 jackets to Jackob, from which his flagship #byJackob products have been created. Later, we have invited the designer to a place where 350 tonnes of textiles are sorted every day – that is, a sorting plant in Skarżysko – Kamienna. It has been there that Jackob has begun to create his second upcycling collection – in a place where textiles from more than 60,000 containers set up all over Poland go. Jackob also emphasised that his visit to the sorting plant was the fulfilment of one of his dreams – From this variety of textiles, I can make everything that has been evolving in my mind for several years!

In the sorting plant, the designer has selected materials to create 20 silhouettes for the upcycling collection – for the purpose of emphasising their unique character, the styling show has taken place in the sorting plant. The Wtórpol hall has become a photo set and catwalk for the models presenting the original apparel. At first, the individual models have presented the styles by walking on the ‘catwalk’, surrounded by huge beams of clothing. Then it has been time for the second part of the show – a change of both outfits and scenery. ‘The catwalk’ has briefly moved to the conveyor belt – that is, the place where clothes are lined up on a daily basis, subjected to sorting, to be later – depending on the quality – sold or recycled. Upon the presentation of the effects of Jackob Buczyński’s work, it has been time for the grand finale of the show – all the models have been walking together with the designer through the entire hall amidst the thunderous applause of the audience gathered in the sorting plant.

After the show in our sorting plant, the Jackob Buczyński X Wtórpol collection has been presented at the Fashion Stage Open’er Festival. The theme of the stage has consisted of upcycling. However, it has not been the end of the success of these wonderful stylings – the effects of our cooperation have been also widely publicised in the media – Jackob has talked about the collection on ‘Dzień dobry TVN’ programme, information about the silhouettes have also appeared on such websites as ‘Wysokie Obcasy’, ‘Nowy Marketing’, or ‘Oczy Mag’.

We are very pleased and extremely proud that these 20 exceptional silhouettes of the Jackob Buczyński X Wtórpol collection have been created from materials obtained right in our sorting plant. Together with Jackob, we are making the most of the potential of the clothes already manufactured!

The incredible thing is that I am making art out of things that someone has got rid of. As the whole idea goes further and gains momentum, giving away unnecessary clothes to the containers that are actually all around us will become a trend and that is what it is all about. For people to see that what they do not need anymore can be useful to someone else. We really are, in a literal sense, giving a second life to these garments! Upcycling is our future –  Jackob beautifully summed up our collaboration.

This is just the beginning, we believe – on the one hand, an amazingly creative, but on the other hand, also very educational adventure! We also hope that it is through events such as zero waste designer collaborations and upcycling fashion shows that more and more people will learn about the benefits of giving clothes a second life.