E.L.V Denim Champions Upcycled Fashion at London Fashion Week

LONDON — E.L.V Denim kicked off London Fashion Week on Thursday with its first on-schedule presentation. The emerging denim brand leapt into ready-to-wear, expanding from upcycled jeans into tailoring, shirts and eveningwear.

Displayed in a two-story space on Regent Street piled high withmountains of rescued denim, the collection highlighted how upcycling can be innovative and luxurious. Black velvet trousers were reconstituted a saucy cocktail dress, and striped poplin cotton shirting patched into a corseted dress.

“People ask how you can think upcycling and luxury are the same thing,” said Anna Foster, founder and designer of E.L.V Denim “I say because we’re providing a garment that lasts for life.”

She explained that the brand reworks second-hand clothing typically seen as low-quality into hardwearing, long-lasting designs to minimize textile waste. Among the assortment of denim pieces on display were herringbone trousers made from scraps of denim, and even a pleated cape.

“We can’t ignore the really inferior materials, so we incorporate them into our ready-to-wear because I want to see the positive properties about everything,” she explained. “Lots of people see the negative, but if you can actually reframe it to see the positives you can value that material and it can become something incredible.”

The brand’s verve for sustainability led to a collaboration with 1 Hotel Mayfair. Using the hotel’s donated bed linens, sheets were cut into strips and hand-crocheted into a semi-sheer, backless evening gown.