From idea to production: the key stages of a textile upcycling project

Transforming existing textiles into new products doesn't just happen. Behind every textile upcycling project lies a structured process, designed to combine creativity, technicality and efficiency on a large scale. There are three main stages: product development, material sourcing and production.

Product development: from idea to prototype

An upcycling project begins with a creative phase, guided by the specifications defined with the customer.

Initially, the designers analyze available materials - dormant stocks, unsold items, production surplus or second-hand - and imagine products adapted to their specific needs. These constraints then become genuine design opportunities.

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Then comes the work of model-makingThe next step is model-making, which adapts creative ideas to reproducible production:

• development of optimized patterns to limit losses,
• prototypes to test feasibility,
• drawing up a technical file to guide the manufacturing process.

This step ensures that upcycled products are aesthetically pleasing, functional and technically feasible.

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At Losanje, a design office brings together stylists and model-makers specialized in upcycling to meet these technical challenges on a daily basis.

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Materials sourcing: adding value to existing materials

Once the project requirements have been defined, the next step is to identify the raw material... which has already been produced. Two approaches are possible:

• the reuse of existing textile waste, made available by companies or organizations,
• the sourcing from industry partners.

The textiles collected are sorted, washed and assessed to determine their processing potential.

This step secures the material upstream and places the project in a textilecircular economy, reducing waste and extending the life of resources.

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Production: industrializing upcycling

The final stage is manufacturing. Thanks to innovative technologies developed by Losanje, the process is now industrialized and optimized:

• Automated cutting of collected textiles: for greater precision and efficiency, while optimizing the available material.
• Yoke assembly: carried out by expert seamstresses or qualified partner workshops.
• Quality control: carried out at every stage to guarantee that the final product complies with specifications.
• Delivery of finished products: directly to the customer, ready for new use.

Thanks to these methods, upcycling can now go beyond the prototype or the single part, and be applied to larger-scale projects. See our case studies.

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Conclusion: a process designed for more circular fashion

Design, pattern-making, materials sourcing and production work hand in hand to give new life to existing textiles. This structured process paves the way for a more circular textile industry, capable of producing differently without resorting to new resources.

Upcycling is not just a creative response: it's also a strategic tool for reducing the sector's environmental impact and rethinking the way we design and manufacture our clothes.