Alexandra Sipa, a UK-based Romanian fashion designer, has found an innovative use for discarded electrical wires – creating beautiful garments and accessories.
Sipa is a recent fashion graduate from London’s artsy Central Saint Martins University. The 23-year-old was inspired to start the project after her earphones broke several times. She began collecting discarded electrical wires from her uncle’s construction site and a local recycling center before handcrafting her unique lace.
Sticking to her roots, Sipa incorporated traditional Romanian techniques into her work, eventually naming her project ‘Romanian Camouflage.’
Sipa explained:
My graduate collection was driven by my motivation to create innovative luxury textile from waste. I used wires to develop garments and accessories by hybridizing multiple lace making techniques, both traditional Romanian techniques, and popular Western techniques.
For now, Sipa has created a dress, vest, ruffle coat, small top, bag, and several accessories out of upcycled wires, but plans to expand on this collection.
Sipa’s Romanian heritage plays a significant role in her work. “Conceptually, the collection was driven by the contrast between the heightened austerity and extreme femininity in Romania,” she said. Her grandmother also inspired her to work with waste after watching her “use whatever she had to make art or decorate her home.”
However, Sipa recognizes the growing issue of electronic waste and hopes that projects like her collection can lead to positive environmental change.
She explained:
I don’t want my work to simply be pretty for the sake of being pretty. Waste is becoming a global and environmental problem. The fastest-growing source of waste is electronic waste, reaching 50 million tonnes worldwide in 2020. Technology companies are openly admitting to planned obsolescence, but still, barely anyone is talking about it.
Sipa also acknowledges the issues in the fashion industry. “Unfortunately, fashion, the industry and medium I’ve loved since I was young, are often one of the worst offenders in relation to the climate emergency,” she said. Fashionwear made from upcycling waste can help avoid adverse environmental impacts.
According to a significant report on the fashion industry and sustainable textiles, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation found that the industry is one of the world’s top polluters. It is estimated that around 150 million tons of clothing will be in landfills by 2050. The report stresses that fashion needs to become a circular economy, where materials are reused and “re-enter the economy afterward, never ending up as waste.”
Sipa said:
I believe real change is coming. The industry is becoming aware of the urgency for change due to the climate emergency and the increasing demand from consumers for more sustainable options.
The young designer hopes to work within a haute couture house, as she believes “sustainable textile innovation and couture go hand-in-hand.” Until then, Sipa will continue experimenting with electrical wire lace, figuring out how a machine can produce it, and exploring applications for the textile beyond garments.
