The London based artist Pia Schiele found an awesome way to combine recycling fabrics and her talent for upclycling sustainably sourced materials. Loutre is her answer: small batch clothing made for you in London. ‘I upcycle curtains and other materials I find in charity shops into skateable trousers and jackets’, Schiele says. She extended her work with organic virgin fabrics that she is sourcing to make small batches of repeat garments. ‘Next to the upcycled ones of course’, she adds.
Words by Fleur Born | Images: Loutre.co
The idea to transform old fabrics into clothing was inspired by Schiele’s grandmother. ‘I upcycled her curtains that I did not think should be thrown away due to the memories and sentimental value connected to them.’ Her grandmother wanted to throw them away, but instead Schiele got creative and made a little capsule collection for herself. ‘This way I can wear her curtains now and they are actually being useful.’
People around her noticed her curtain transformed garments and liked it. She continued with the upcycling project and leaves no materials unwasted. Offcuts are used to make side bags and hats, as you can see on her website Loutre.co. ‘I do everything myself, all of this is a one woman show at the minute’, Schiele says. ‘I come up with the designs, source the fabrics, make the clothes, photograph or film them, edit everything and put together the website.’
Besides her website, Schiele uses Instagram as a visual narrator for Loutre’s story. As you scroll through Schiele’s Instagram, you can see a visualization of Loutre’s arise. It is a collection that catches your attention with its warm tones and pastel colors, square shapes and oversized fit. You would not even tell the trousers and jackets are made from recycled materials. It has a very unique look and seems comfortable to skate in.
That is where Converse London came in, as they discovered Schiele’s collection. ‘When Converse London knocked on the door to support me as part of their Spark Progress, a new platform that aims to spotlight and support young female creatives here in London, I took the opportunity to finally work with Dello Studios.’ She has always wanted to work for the talented duo artist. ‘I wanted to work for Dello Studios in forever to create a skateable installation for the Lookbook shoot of my most recent collection.’
The loose fit and practicality seem to be key features in the Loutre collection, also Greater Goods notices. ‘Pretty much all my friends I have here in London right now I have met through skateboarding when I moved here’ Schiele says in the interview with author James Tailor. ‘It is a huge part of my life and it surrounds me with very talented people that inspire me’, she says. They wear her clothes to skate in, so practicality is definitely a big part of it. Schiele adds: ‘Stylewise I think I have actually become braver and more experimental through skating.’
Next to skateboarding, sustainability is a big part of Schiele’s work as well. She mentions a quote on Greater Goods, by George Monbiot: “We are not materialistic enough. We have a disrespect for materials. We use it quickly and carelessly. If we were genuinely materialistic people, we would understand where materials come from and where they go to.” Schiele thinks re-working materials is a great start, but she thinks there is a lot more that we can do in the future. ‘Working on new material technologies is really exciting and something I want to focus on myself as well.’
