The London label turning unwanted textiles into capsule collections.
Says Faye Hardy
KIPPA TRES is the London-born label launched out of lockdown by designer and embroiderer Sophie Tresadern.
With an ethos of “repurposing something old and making it new again”, KIPPA TRES is about as circular as fashion gets. Founded by Sophie, she seeks out sustainable fabrics and unwanted clothes destined for landfill, turning them into completely new and unique garms.
“I love seeing the process of taking something old and making it new again”.
Like a lot of us, Sophie became more conscious of her own fashion habits during lockdown and started upcycling clothes she wasn’t wearing anymore into new pieces. Before long, her friends and family were donating their unwanted wardrobe items and that’s how KIPPA was born. “I love seeing the process of taking something old and making it new again, seeing the difficult outcomes you can achieve,” she says.
Style-wise, KIPPA’s unisex collections are usually bold and one-of-a-kind in their design. We’re talking slinky fit bleached-orange loungewear sets (our personal fave); second hand jeans from the likes of Calvin Klein, Pepe and Levi’s that have been patch-worked with embroidered badges; vintage coats from Tommy Hilfiger and North Face; Champion sportswear reworked into maxi-style skirts; co-ord sets spray painted in collab with graphic designers; and so much more upcycled streetwear goodness.
Perhaps what’s most impressive though is how Sophie is weaving slow fashion into the fast fashion industry. Not only is KIPPA becoming quite the regular at Urban Outfitters with pop-ups at their Oxford Street and Coal Drops Yard stores, but last year she was also approached by Depop and adidas (no biggie) to create an upcycled collection of second hand adidas garms. And there’s more exciting things in the pipeline, “I have an exciting project coming up with MOX London and KECH called 22422, which is a project I won funding for and where I will create a collection made entirely out of sneakers” Sophie tells us. Defo one to keep your eye on.
As well as that, Sophie hopes to keep expanding the brand, collaborating with other creatives and building an inclusive community. And because KIPPA is still just a side hustle for Sophie (who also works as an embroidery consultant for haute couture brands and teaches young children the basic textile skills too), new releases drop as and when, although she’s hoping that may change soon. We’re even seeing her tread homeware ground with an upholstered chair made from the elastic trim of men’s boxer shorts.
When it comes to Sophie’s fave piece, it’s the patchwork dresses made from a mix of cotton checked shirts, shorts, trousers and polo top fabrics. Yep, we can see why. And if you’re after some more slow fashion recs, Sophie has also given a nod to Gentle Fullness (part of the STORY mfg. family, which explores vintage-inspired fabrics in new pieces) and Chopova Lowena (another London-based biz recycling folkloric fabrics, deadstock materials and utilising traditional craft techniques).
KIPPA TRES is an exciting new label, taking both fashion and sustainability seriously. If this is what deadstock dressing looks like, we’re so here for it.
Photography by Cicely Grace, Rosemary Pitts, Joshua Kinsella and Arthur Treglown Williams.