Today, designers and companies are increasingly engaged with the question of how design objects, furniture, and textiles can be recycled or upcycled. The global fashion and textile industries are among the most resource-intensive sectors, heavily contributing to environmental and climate challenges. As a result, there is an urgent need for new, more sustainable solutions. This exhibition shows how used textiles can be upcycled into new products, and investigates how large-scale green transition can be realized — through the example of the Danish company Textilia (formerly De Forenede Dampvaskerier).
From bedsheet to chef’s shirt
In 2020, Textilia established its sister company upcy with the ambition to recycle 100% of its discarded textiles by the end of 2025. At upcy, old dish towels are made into jackets, bed sheets into chef’s shirts, and hospital duvets into jacket-style uniforms for healthcare workers.
The exhibition at Designmuseum Danmark presents examples of how a large Danish company is recycling its textiles and provides a fascinating insight into how design thinking can drive change. It also demonstrates how circular economy principles can be implemented — even within large industrial corporations.
