The second life of clothes, more carefully than ever, with 'Be The Fibre' - MsLupeCastro - Lupe Castro

Photo: © Mathieu Teissier

The non-profit organisation 'Be The Fibre' is linked to the Belgian organisation Wereld Missie Hulp, which collects clothes through red bins in various locations in Belgian municipalities and collection points inside retail chains such as As Adventure, JBC, Torfs, Bel&Bo, and concept shops such as Yuman Circular Village in Brussels, Moose in the City in Antwerp, Supergoods in Ghent and Harvest in Leuven.

And not only this great work stops there. Wereld Missie Hulp has an agreement with a tailoring company that selects garments that are still saleable and gives them a second life, making them available for sale again in shops.

And they go much further! Unusable textiles (torn or ripped clothes, stains) are shredded into pulp. From this pulp, an innovative process is used to re-spin a yarn. These threads are used to weave new fabrics. And from these fabrics, bags are made again with 'Be The Fibre', isn't it fabulous?

In addition to the pursuit of a truly comprehensive development of the circular economy concept, they do remarkable international social work, with projects such as the development of a kindergarten and primary school in Rambia, Uganda, which provides education to orphans and many disadvantaged children. They are also involved in a retail project in Ukraine (Kharkiv), part of the profits of which go to local humanitarian projects.

Did you know about 'Be The Fibre'? Is there a similar initiative in your country? I would love to know more about it, because I love everything about breathing new life into fashion and clothes - it's a fascinating world! And I really believe it's the most realistic and practical way towards an increasingly sustainable fashion development - you can write to my networks about it! I'm looking forward to hearing about new upcycling and pre-loved fashion proposals.