So it turns out buying new clothes isn’t cool any more? So says an Auckland woman who is teaching the younger generations how to sew, knit and upcycle clothes in their droves (and we have her tips for you to do it too, even if you haven’t picked up a needle in, well, ever!). She chats to Paulette Crowley.
Digging through op shop piles for a designer gem, flicking through a resale app or even renting a dress for a special occasion is now a common way to shop. In fact, second-hand shopping is booming so much that analysts predict the global resale market could overtake fast fashion retail by 2029. So you’d think our green halos would be shining bright, right?
However, us Kiwis still have a long way to go. New Zealanders throw 180,000 tonnes of clothing into landfill each year – a massive 34kg per person, essentially a couple of full suitcases of “outfits” per Kiwi. According to the 2025 Circular Economy Report, textiles are now one of our fastest-growing waste streams.
The mess we create to dress ourselves is close to fashion upcycler Bea Lorimer’s heart. An avid op-shopper as a teen growing up in Canada, she lived for vintage finds and getting creative with fashion. Now based on Waiheke Island, she is witnessing a major shift and she is JAZZED about it – while many of us spent our 20s chasing the latest cheap poly-blend top from Glassons, some Gen Zers and Millennials now get excited about vintage wool blankets or a battered pair of designer jeans from the 80s.
The great Kiwi craft revival – what’s changing?
This shift back to making and mending clothes is something Bea sees as an antithesis to our screen-obsessed world, especially for younger generations. “A renaissance of knitting and crafting really is ‘a thing’,” she says.
TradeMe’s data supports this, with nearly half of Kiwis now more likely to repair or upcycle an item than they were a year ago. Likewise, organisations like the Recreators in Auckland are seeing a surge in demand for repair and upcycling workshops, from West Auckland to the Coromandel.
“I have been teaching upcycle and beginners sewing classes for about five or six years now. Typically, the students haven’t touched a sewing machine, or the last time they sewed was 20 years ago in a home economics class,” she laughs. “For the most part that wasn’t a good experience for them. Because of that, I don’t really focus on ‘perfection’ sewing – I teach the basics, I make it easy, fun, accessible and affordable. I want people to enjoy sewing and know how easy it can be to use what’s already out there.”
Students work from Bea’s own “massive” supply of assorted clothing and upcycled fabrics. “Usually, we will work on a pretty basic shape and then they can mix and match different fabrics, colours and their own variations. Usually we also do a cushion cover or bag but in the last class we did a patchwork kimono jacket.”
Crafting is hugely popular, too, she says. “A couple of weeks ago I did a repair cafe and in the gymnasium right next door there were about 50 young women, probably all under the age of 30, set up with crafting tables – making jewellery, painting, knitting and sewing. It was incredible to see.”
For many younger shoppers, Bea says, buying something brand new feels almost “stupid” when pre-loved alternatives, or something they’ve made themselves, offer so much more individuality. “It really is a mind shift.”
From rationing to rock stars
Bea grew up with a “no waste” mentality. Her mother, raised during the era of British rationing after WWII, mended what was broken, scraped every bowl clean and used things with a level of care that feels foreign in today’s throwaway culture. “Back then, sewing your own clothes was a practical way to save money before the era of ultra-cheap fast fashion,” she says.
As a teenager, Bea was drawn to second-hand clothing long before vintage fashion became mainstream. While her friends flocked to malls for the latest mass-produced styles, she gravitated toward thrift stores and army surplus shops. Not everyone shared her enthusiasm; one friend told her the idea was strange – “like wearing dead people’s clothing.” But Bea saw potential rather than stigma and loved finding something nobody else had.
Her journey into the professional world of wardrobe and costume was a literal tour de force. She quit high school at 16 to become a hairdresser, which eventually led to touring with her brother’s band, Simon Kaos, in western Canada. By her early 20s she was learning the ropes of the music industry – managing lighting, sorting finances and eventually becoming a tour manager and wardrobe person for some of the biggest names in the business. She spent years on the road, including a three-tour stint with k.d. lang and time as a wardrobe personal assistant for Diana Krall and Leonard Cohen.
Bea has also worked behind the scenes at Spark Arena for the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, and even found herself in the dressing room with the legendary Cher, adjusting her chaps and wondering what her twelve-year-old self would make of it all!
Touring life moves quickly and costumes need to survive constant use, travel and quick repairs. Working in that environment sharpened Bea’s ability to adapt, improvise and keep garments functioning under pressure.
The mountain of discarded denim
Despite the glamour of the world stage, it was moving to New Zealand in 2007 that sparked her upcycling mission with Heke Design. When she arrived on Waiheke Island, she went to a local op shop to ask for fabric scraps for a craft market and, to her horror, was shown bags upon bags of clothing set to be biffed in the dump. “I couldn’t believe that was being thrown out,” she says. “Just having this no-waste mindset I’ve always had, it was like, “Oh my God, I just can’t let that happen”.
She started taking the bags home regardless of what was inside, wading through piles of unusable kids’ clothes and dirty rags in search of hidden treasures. Each garment offered a puzzle: how to work with the existing fabric while creating something contemporary and wearable. Upcycling is often more labour-intensive than sewing with new fabric; seams must be unpicked, fabrics assessed for strength and patterns adapted to fit irregular pieces. Bea looks at the fabric and thinks about what it “wants to become,” leading to unexpected combinations where no two pieces are the same.
Today, her focus has sharpened onto two materials that are both plentiful and problematic: merino and denim. Jeans are a particular focus because they are among the most environmentally damaging items in fashion. Denim production involves intensive indigo dyeing and toxic “distressing” processes to get a worn-in look, and because jeans are so popular, they are discarded in huge quantities. Environmental research shows it can take up to 7500 litres of water to produce a single pair.
Bea transforms this waste into classic, high-value pieces like A-line skirts and jackets, giving a second life to fabric that would otherwise sit in landfill for decades. Merino is her other “gold” material thanks to its durability and local availability. Unlike synthetic fabrics that pill and trap odours, merino is breathable and stays fresh longer, Bea says.
Every drop in the bucket counts
Bea estimates she has kept three tonnes of fabric out of landfill – the equivalent of three small truckloads. Through her “Junk to Funk” mentorships and her work at the local recovery shop, she is helping other budding upcyclers find their feet. It’s about taking a breath, looking at what we already have and finding the beauty in the second-hand.
“Every tonne I keep out of the landfill is not nothing,” she says.
Bea’s guide to creating your own upcycled garments
You don’t need fancy skills or expensive tools to start upcycling – just curiosity, creativity and clothes that already exist. If you don’t have a sewing machine or overlocker, don’t stress.
Start with hand-sewing If you’ve never sewn, or have forgotten how, watch some YouTube videos to learn basic stitches like running stitch and back stitch. Be patient with yourself while you’re learning a new skill, or brushing up on a long-forgotten one!
Nervous to make a start? Begin with damaged garments from ‘free bins’ at the op shop. When you’re not afraid of ruining something, creativity runs more freely. Upcycling is meant to be experimentation, not perfection.
Some simple ways to upcycle – sometimes a small intervention is enough to make old items wearable again. Start with adding patches, swapping buttons, layering pockets, mending visible damage – sew up tears, darn holes – and testing ideas on old sheets first.
The more you practice the more your intuition develops. Save inspiration images, experiment often, trust your interpretation and have fun!