EFWA Upcycling Challenge by Marilyn R Wilson Part 2 of 5 - Meet Aloke Kumar Singh, Camila Castillo, Lesley Hampton & Sam Stringer


I was so honoured when the founder of Eco Fashion Week Australia offered to let me create a unique show for their event in November in Perth, Australia. It took two weeks to finalize the idea for this upcycling challenge and another one to two weeks to finalize this amazing list of incredible talents - 21 in all representing 12 countries. Each will be creating one unique look from used men's dress shirts (thrift store or flea market finds, discards from family and friends or ?).

These fashion designers were all asked to step out of the box conceptually and have fun with the challenge. Their look should represent them as designers and showcase their creativity. They were asked to do more than just use the shirts as fabric. At least one original detail from the original garments used should be incorporated in their final design.

Here is a brief introduction to the next four designers. Alex S. Yu, Francesca Phipps, Jessie Liu, Sacha Cooper and Tieler James were covered in Press Release Part 1 - HERE. The rest of the designers will be covered in upcoming posts so please check back.

To read about my the journey to create this challenge, check out my article, "The Move From Media Seat To Backstage."

Aloke Kumar Singh, Micronesium & ESEDS (Kolkata) -

  • About Miconesium sources scraps and leftover cloth from export houses. Khadi and organic textiles are then combined with scraps of other material. The label is an exercise in waste management. They also work with certified organic and sustainable fabrics which are dyed with different herbs, flowers and left over fruit skins and are working on a project with banana and bamboo fabrics and legitimate nonviolent silk
  • Studied at – London College of Fashion, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and National Institute of Fashion Technology
  • WebsiteRelaunching in September 2017
  • ESEDS School of Design - www.eseds.com/
  • Twitter - @micronesium1
Camila Castillo, Camila X Castillo (Venezuela/U.S.) –

  • About - Camila Castillo's work as a designer has always been influenced by the visual arts. She loves to work on a manequin, cutting and folding the material until she finds interesting geometric compositions that she adapts to the curves of a woman. Her innovative work also incoporates the usue of innovative technoloby such as 3D printing and laser cutting.
  • Studied at - Neumann school of graphic design (very material oriented/bauhaus influence), followed by pattern making courses at seamstress schools.
  • Instagram - @camilaxcastillo
  • Twitter - @camilaxcastillo
Lesley Hampton (Toronto) -

Sam Stringer (Vancouver) -

  • About - Sam Stringer is known for red carpet ready, one of a kind, elaborate and luxurious evening gowns that combine traditional mastery with modern aesthetic to create. Her silhouettes offer a wonderful fusion that celebrate both art and fashion.
  • Studied at – Kwantlen Polytechnic University
  • Instagram - @sammyjay666

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