What does it take to give a sweater new life?
A Next Season x Generation Re Collaboration
I realize that Friday afternoon is probably not the best time to send this out - but hey that’s where I’m at today!
I’m excited to highlight a recent custom upcycled knitwear project done in collaboration with Generation Re, a platform that connects customers with creative professionals to give beloved, pre-worn clothing a second life. Through personalized transformations—like tailoring, upcycling, and repair—Generation Re helps users extend the lifespan of their wardrobe, reduce waste, and rediscover joy in what they already own.
Before I jump into the story of our collab, I did a mini Q&A with one of Generation Re’s Founders, Gena Palmieri -
Anne: What’s the backstory for Generation Re? When did you get interested in sustainable fashion & upcycling?
Gena: My team and I started this project to create a new way to give our clothing a second life – acknowledging the immense amount of clothing we have in our closets, the evolution of style and changes that we constantly go through, and the lack of accessibility and visibility to high quality clothing transformations and repairs.
I’ve always loved fashion and have been a creative at heart—sketching outfits, learning to sew and embroider, and constantly finding ways to DIY pieces I saw on the runway. Over time, I started to think more about the waste built into the fashion system and fell in love with the idea of using what you already have to create something totally new. That’s really where Generation Re started—wanting to make repairing, tailoring, and repurposing your clothes feel just as fun and energizing as buying something new.
I’m currently getting my MBA and Master's in Design Innovation at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. I came in with the intention to explore entrepreneurship specifically within sustainable fashion! Additionally, I’ve been able to intern with Future Reference this quarter and will be heading to New York to work at Vestiaire Collective this summer. I have loved getting so much deeper into this space and meeting so many others who are deeply passionate about it as well!
I fully relate to the ‘creative at heart’ bit, and figuring out how to combine creativity with entrepreneurship! What are your favorite upcycled items in your own wardrobe?
A few years ago, I had an old H&M linen set that I wasn’t wearing as much as I wanted to. I went to my local craft store and bought some Rit Dye and was able to dye it a fresh butter yellow. Little did I know how on-trend it would be this year!
And, last summer, I started using old button-downs to turn into the cutest cocktail napkins. It is unbelievable how much amazing fabric is just sitting in Goodwill – they had the best colors and patterns!
These are so cute! Love the ‘stick of butter’ trend. I also have to ask - what are your sustainable fashion recs for Chicago?
Outfit Repeater is easily my favorite vintage store in Chicago! They have the most fun luxury pieces, and the owner does a fantastic job curating. It’s in Wicker Park, which has so many cute restaurants, it’s always fun to make a day out of it.
Past Studies is another vintage store I adore. They have more classic luxury pieces like Chanel flats, Gucci bags, and Burberry trenches. It’s the perfect place to buy a new closet staple!
Sopho’s is easily one of the best places in Chicago to make your custom outfit dreams come true. The owner, Sage, is all about bringing your vision to reality and will do anything to help get it there!
Margarbs Art is one of my favorite creatives at the moment. She brings back to life secondhand leather bags, wallets, and coin purses with her gorgeous paintings.
Finally, where do you see Generation Re going from here?
We’ve tested this concept for the last 5 months and recently decided not to move forward with the exact business model we were testing – it was too digital first and was very challenging to build a marketplace that would create value that creatives were looking for. We had so much fun testing the concept and will certainly bring our insights to something else moving forward!
Ah - I'm sure it was a tough decision but I know you'll find an awesome project to work on in the future. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work together on a custom upcycling project and look forward to staying in touch as we both navigate the sustainable & circular fashion world (and looking forward to meeting up in NYC) 💚
The Next Season x Generation Re Collab
A few months back, Generation Re and Next Season connected on Instagram - Gena had a potential customer, Tanya, who was looking to repurpose an old sweater. She didn’t love the fit anymore, and the cuffs were starting to show wear. But Tanya loved the rich green color and was hoping she could find a way to keep the sweater and turn it into something she’d be excited to wear.
After an initial consultation with Tanya to understand her style preferences, we all three determined that Next Season was a perfect fit for remaking this old sweater into a new piece.
To help Tanya visualize the end result, I shared a design sketch and confirmed relevant specs. Tanya mailed her sweater to Brooklyn to be deconstructed, unraveled, and remade into a sweater vest.
🪄
In her words, upon receiving the “new” upcycled vest:
“I love how soft and perfectly sized it is.”
“[The process was] super easy — there was consistent communication about the design, work, and delivery.”
“I have been telling friends… all about how it's still my old sweater, just restyled/reimagined. One friend even said they would buy something like it in stores now.”
We love to hear it! I really enjoyed this process of collaborating with Tanya and Gena, and giving an old sweater new life. This collaboration embodies everything Next Season and Generation Re stand for:
Reduce waste, and create unique items with stories to tell
Extend the lifecycle of your clothes through creativity and craftsmanship
Create a culture of responsible consumption & production, and empower you to repair, remix, and rewear your clothes
And we hope that this project encourages you to creatively rethink your own wardrobe! If you’re feeling inspired, Next Season is currently accepting custom orders. Register your interest here. You can also see more examples of sweater transformations on the NS site, here.
Beyond this specific collab, there have been a lot of big developments in the Next Season world this past month - new team members, new studio space, and a new collection in progress. Loads of BTS updates coming soon! Have a great weekend!
Love this so much! May I cross-post to Threadstack to share with others?