From uniform waste to new paw-sibilities
Designed by Redress Alum, Tulika Ranjan, this series of upcycled products — made for people and their adorable furry friends — are the outcome of a collaboration between Tulika, Chinese International School (CIS), and environmental NGO Redress.
As part of the Redress Designer Residency Programme, Tulika was tasked with upcycling old uniforms from CIS. The residency — supported by the VF Foundation — aims to empower emerging talent to create circular products through collaborative projects that develop their skills and knowledge, while showcasing solutions to waste. Through this pilot project, we have been able to transform around 7kg of uniforms into products, with a surplus of production off-cuts of around 13kg being processed through our downcycling stream.
All proceeds will go towards CIS’ student group Drop in the Ocean (DITO) to continue their efforts to achieve circularity at CIS.
Photo credit: Pet Being Studio
During her residency, Tulika ran workshops for CIS students, engaging them in the development process for feedback and ideas, and sharing her sustainable design knowledge and skills via an upcycled weaving activity.
Did you know? An estimated 2.5 million new uniform items are purchased for school students in Hong Kong every year. Despite the efforts of schools like CIS who hold secondhand sales to keep garments in circulation, many uniform items finish their lives too early due to children outgrowing clothes, wear and tear, stains, or not enough parents being able to attend secondhand sales.
