Upcycling Masterclass

Upcycling Masterclass PĀRDIZAINS Vol.2 led by Zaiga Brutāne, PhD student at the Art Academy of Latvia

Collaboration is an opportunity to bring the idea of re-design into broader circulation, proving that fashion design is not limited to creating something new. It can also be an act of transformation, responsibility, and dialogue.

This will be the third masterclass within the PĀR–DIZAINS initiative. The first two took place under PĀR–DIZAINS Vol.1. The aim of the initiative is to highlight issues of transformation, reuse, and the life cycle of clothing, expanding the understanding of design not only as a professional craft but also as a form of thinking and attitude. The project encourages participants to see surplus as potential, and design as a conversation about the value of clothing and its wear, giving the worn-out a second life.

So far, the initiative has involved several Latvian fashion designers whose creative practices are closely linked to sustainability and the possibilities of garment transformation. The project’s curator is designer Zaiga Brutāne (Zaiga Brutane Studio), a PhD student at the Art Academy of Latvia, who continues to explore both theoretically and practically the reuse of garments in fashion design.

This masterclass will be a hands-on tool for anyone interested in transforming an old T-shirt into a new, unique piece using simple, almost playfully direct techniques — cuts, braids, and unexpected combinations. It is not only a creative and practical activity but also a shift in perspective: to see not the end of a garment, but its continuation.

Zaiga will demonstrate how, with just a few steps, an old T-shirt can be turned into an object with a completely new character — slightly punk-inspired, rougher, less polished, and therefore more powerful in its presence.

Participants are invited to bring their own damaged T-shirts, which will serve both as the raw material for the workshop and as the starting point for a new story.