Post Recycle Dry

I spent a quiet morning earlier in the week going through my wardrobe and sorting out the clothes that I no longer wear, or that no longer fit (I have long arms, which means that shrinkage on long-sleeved shirts shows up quickly and obviously. Big hands and skinny wrists poking out of a too-short cuff make me look like a gibbon). A merciless purge every year is the only way to keep my clothing from running out of control.

Of course, I don't bin the old stuff. It goes into the charity bins down the road. I've often wondered what happens to my old gear once it goes off to another life, especially the worn stuff.

A lot of it gets recycled, of course, and it's always interesting to see how old becomes new. An example would be these rather splendid Slim Jim jeans, created by Nudie and sold exclusively through Barney's New York. Made from a mix of recycled denim and new organic cotton, the jeans are sharply constructed, brilliantly coloured and built to last. The finish is rougher than Nudie's usual high standard, but for these jeans it doesn't matter. In fact the slubby look just makes them more desirable. They're in a limited edition of 500 though, so if you want to snap up a pair you'd better get your skates on.

It's great to see recycled and upcycled clothing take a rightful place in the realm of covetable high fashion. Who knows, the next pair of posh jeans that you buy might have something of a beloved old pair as part of their makeup. New clothing with built-in history; now that's intriguing.

For more, including a short film on how the Post Recycle Dry jeans are made, check out the Nudie Jeans site.