In honor of Earth Month, we're excited to feature the Co-Founder + Creative Director of FABSCRAP, Camille Tagle. FABSCRAP is a non-profit organization based in NYC and Philadelphia that has pioneered a system to recycle and reuse fabric waste that traditionally would have gone to landfill, creating an accessible materials resource for creative communities, while reducing the fashion industry’s impact on the planet. In 2023 alone, FABSCRAP diverted 281,943 pounds of textiles from landfills - the CO2 reducing equivalent of planting 28,194 trees!
Before co-founding FABSCRAP, Camille spent her career as an eveningwear designer in NYC. It was through this work that she witnessed how much fabric, especially reusable fabric, went to landfill after each collection. This motivated her to create much needed textile resources and solutions, ultimately leading to her transition from fashion design to waste management in co-founding FABSCRAP. In her current role, she's focused on educating today's designers on why sustainability must be a key component in shaping the future of the fashion industry. Learn more about FABSCRAP and how you can participate here.
1) Meulien Abstract Embrace Bangle - I am such a fan of Meulien jewelry! They are so well made, perfect for every day, and the designs are like works of art that I get to wear! I own a variety of Meulien's pieces but am especially in love with the silver Abstract Embrace Bangle. The designer, Young, explained that it's supposed to be like a "hug" - so cleverly minimal and sleek!
2) Huha Underwear Bundles - Huha's undergarments are must-have basics for anyone's wardrobe. They are made of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers and TENCEL™ Modal x Micro fibers which are mainly manufactured from the renewable raw material beech wood, sourced from sustainable forests in Austria and neighboring countries. They are also protected with smartcel™ sensitive, a functional fiber using pharma-graded zinc oxide. During Earth Month if you select “🌎FABSCRAP” at checkout, Huha will donate 1% of your sale to FABSCRAP and will double all donations to FABSCRAP for all Sage Green and Brown purchases!
3) Wastewear Jaguar Crew Neck T-shirt - Wastewear creates the perfect unisex t-shirt from 100% recycled content (post-consumer cotton and plastic bottles)! I own multiple of the Jaguar Crew Neck t-shirts and even have a couple customized with the FABSCRAP logo and they are perfect to wear for work!
4) Kyrgies Capsule Collection Wool Slides - I first tried a pair of Kyrgies wool slides on a work trip and immediately became obsessed - now I can't travel without them! I recently collaborated with Kyrgies and Drexel University to upcycle their deadstock pairs with FABSCRAP fabric and love how they turned out!
5) Make My Cake Butter Strawberry Cupcakes - Make My Cake, a Black-owned bakery in Harlem, NY, has the best strawberry frosting I've ever tasted, made with fresh strawberry puree. Their Butter Strawberry Cupcakes are always my preferred celebratory birthday treat each year!
6) Tom's Sons Fabric Pleating Fundamentals - My absolute favorite upcycling method is fabric pleating, and I'm always fascinated by how a fabric is truly transformed at the end of the process. When I worked as an eveningwear designer I learned the most about pleating from Tom's Sons International Pleating. This father and son duo even wrote a book on their tips and tricks for this complex fabric manipulation that I highly recommend!
7) Thrifting - I love discovering the best vintage and thrift stores in any city I visit, and could really spend hours on end exploring these rare finds. If you're ever in NYC, be sure to check out Pippin, Housing Works, 26th St Flea Market, or Manhattan Vintage if your visit falls on one of their tradeshow weekends.
8) Dia Beacon and Richard Serra's Torqued Ellipses - One of my favorite museums is Dia Beacon because they have an impressive collection of Richard Serra's monumental Torqued Ellipses sculptures. Richard Serra's works plus the many other installations are the perfect example of how art can truly be a beautiful experience.
9) Plitvice National Park - My most memorable travel destination has been the Plitvice National Park, a UNESCO World Hertiage site in Croatia. This park has over 16 lakes resulting in waterfalls galore, making for a breathtaking fairytale-like setting. My partner and I were so captivated by this park that we decided to get married here!
10) Tenoverten Tool Kit - Working at FABSCRAP there are several occasions that require me to show fabric or how to work with it, and it's always nice if my nails look pretty while I demonstrate! I often give myself at-home manicures and the Tenoverten Tool Kit is absolutely perfect!
