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Borbala – HFW 2023: Patchwork Clubwear
Borbala is what comes to mind when you ask most people to describe upcycled fashion. Colours and patterns woven together in a patchwork haze to make a new piece of fabric, that is then fashioned into a new garment. The garments were technically great, you could see the extent of fashion ‘waste’ that was included in the collection and the silhouettes were fun and summery – perfect against the blue sky outside.
Photos: Henna Vähä for Helsinki Fashion Week
Do I think the collection is easy to wear? Depends on who you are. The raw hems were a little excessive, with strings flying all over the place (not the on-purpose cords, mind you) but the patchwork was well constructed and the garments fit the models like a glove. As soon as the models made their way down the runway for an initial run-through, I instantly thought of 80s colours matched with 90s club silhouettes.
I wish upcyling fashion did not mean patchwork and bright colours, as in my opinion, it makes items VERY consumer unfriendly and VERY the same, funnily enough. I know upcycling designers usually work with materials scraps or deadstock, but patchwork isn’t the only technique you can use to breathe new life into these fabrics. How about using scraps to pad a quilted jacket? Or creating a braid for a bag handle, belt, hat or sleeve trim? You could even group scraps of the same colour to patchwork an item that was more unified and easy to wear – most people do not like to wear 703728075 colours at once or certainly not on the everyday, making items like the ones in Borbala’s collection one off ‘special’ pieces, something in my opinion that does not contribute to changing mainstream ideas around the benefits and ease of wearing upcycled fashion.
Did Borbala make a bad collection? No. Do I want to see another piece of patchwork upcycled clothing ever again? No.
