Or why we are the uncrowned kings of upcycling

At the beginning of the 2000s, fast fashion brands burst into Hungary and multiplied like mushrooms... In response to this, smaller, unique Hungarian brands began to emerge, which even then considered local production important.

Among them, Printa took an even more specific direction, we started producing environmentally conscious products - primarily from recycled materials, that is, using the upcycling technique.

What is upcycling?

The upcycling technique is not the same as the more well-known recycling method, despite the fact that both are "recycling" according to their Hungarian equivalent. While recycling is the recycling of waste in its material (e.g. through selective waste collection), upcycling also involves an increase in value - so it means creating an object with a new meaning by using materials considered waste. This could include a bag made from leather scraps, a dress made from used shirts, or overalls made from jeans.

As for the relationship between Printa and the technology in question, we have been producing recycled leather bags since 2008 - the first bag designs were created for us by Anett Hajdú, and we sourced the leather jackets from different places.

We have brought you a retrospective gallery from our collections of the last 10 years, which include quite funny and surprising things...

2011

We called this collection the Upcycled collection - we were so happy to find the name of what we represent :)) because until now we didn't know there was a word for what we do. In addition to our usual leather bags, we re-tailored used cotton T-shirts, shirts and jeans. It was a risky move, we didn't know how people would react to it, but in the end we sold all the pieces. Recycled leather also makes a comeback on belts and accessories.

2012

The first half of the year was made exciting by a collaboration - the then newly graduated Nóra Sármán designed a mini collection for us, made of old lace and white used jeans. The collection was photographed by Réka Kóti.

We made cardigans, shirts and tunics from cotton sweaters used in the Black Moon collection. During an exciting hunt, we found a high-quality, discarded performance dress, made of shiny stretch material - pieces of leggings were made from it. All this was supplemented with raster, abstract screen printing, which we applied to the already finished clothes.

2013

2014

The "Abstract geometry" summer collection was characterized by shirt dresses made of shirts and geometric screen prints. A special piece made from a vintage damask material, which we added with transitional painting. We really like this collection because, despite the various recycled materials, we managed to create a uniform and harmonious atmosphere through painting and careful selection.

Recycled bedspreads and plaid shirts played a prominent role in our winter collection, but we also really liked the poncho - which was made up of recycled knitted pieces - and the bed cover cloth, which was made from a dyed duvet cover, in zero waste fashion.

2015

The summer of 2015 was all about recycling used shirts and patchwork, where remarkable maxi shirt dresses were born.

For the 2015 winter collection, we really let our imaginations run wild - we experimented with different materials, made jackets from military sleeping bags and windbreakers from used paragliders.

2016

Summer 2016, pastel and ice cream colors, recycled shirts and jeans

The key pieces of the winter 2016 collection were leather dresses and tops made from recycled leather, which were made using the same patchwork method as our bags. However, they proved to be very fiddly, so they only remained at the experimental level. The result was spectacular, and the audience loved it, the completed pieces were quickly snapped up. What was a great success, and we still make it today - if we can find it - is our jacket made of military blankets. A blanket is made into a jacket in a zero-waste way, and thanks to its material, it is very warm, since it is not good for the soldiers to be cold either.

2017

In addition to recycled shirts and jeans, we also started recycling textile waste from a bundle, which we added with a unique screen print. We sifted the white shirt pieces individually into stripes and created fresh, optically attention-grabbing pieces from this patchwork-style striped game.

2018

Jumpsuits, kaftans, geometric screen prints, hemp ribbons, wooden buttons, recycled shirts and a balloon jacket made of sailcloth - on the Marie Claire Fashion Days runway. Our 2018 collection highlighted the beauty of the details.

2019

A beautiful vintage yellow palm damask material set the basic mood of the collection, which was supplemented with vintage linen material and combined with wooden buttons, recycled shirts and cotton waste on the Marie Claire Fashion Days catwalk.

2020

In addition to recycling, our 2020 collection also includes the use of new, organic materials and the zero waste tailoring solution. The collection includes used men's shirts, of course, but we looked for new, creative ways to use them, which is how the quarter shirt was born, the base of which is always a plain organic cotton t-shirt, and the quarter is a sewn-on quarter shirt, which of course is different for every piece. The surface of the large shopper bag is decorated with a structure made of waste.

In the winter collection, recycled vintage linen and recycled knitwear appear next to shirts

2021