The basic idea of sustainability and circular fashion is that it is communal, something we have to do together – even if that togetherness consists of many individual actions.

Weekday recently decided to give their design team a circularity design challenge that quickly became a great example of how mixing creative collaboration with a sustainability perspective can result in amazing fashion pieces.

The limited edition collection ReCNSTRCT was born, a collection where the basic premise was to create garments from Weekday clothes from previous seasons. The only rule was that white was to be the base and pink hues the accent.

“The best and most important part about the making of this collection was that everyone were able to contribute and show their thoughts and processes, it filled a bigger purpose I think, for us to be able to inspire each other and share ideas,” says designer Vivianne Kontros, who worked on a sweater and a t-shirt.

I wanted to find new shapes and contours of the dress. Playing with two layers, one dress on top of the other and lacing them together on the back made the garment much more versatile in its shape.

The limited edition collection consists of 14 pieces, ranging from dresses, t-shirts and sweaters, to jeans, shirts, a skirt and bag and comes with a hot girl summer vibe.

Karin Granstrand, accessories designer, designed a white dress with drawstrings and cutout details: “I wanted to find new shapes and contours of the dress. Playing with two layers, one dress on top of the other and lacing them together on the back made the garment much more versatile in its shape. This way it is more adjustable, and you can choose whether you want it tight or loose and how much skin you want to show.”

In another reconstruction, a high-waisted, uncoloured ecru five pocket jean was dyed into a flaming pink with fringe seams, both at the bottom and at the slit open sides.

“I also chose to size down the entire pant, to get a looser and baggy silhouette and to get it further down the hip and maximise the length to create a hotter, less mature look,” says Per Axén, the denim designer behind the piece.

Per describes the team process as something akin to the game called exquisite corpse, where you draw a head of person, fold the paper, and let the next person continue. “It’s a very exciting way of approaching design, to add on to someone else’s work,” he says.

It’s a very exciting way of approaching design, to add on to someone else’s work.

But the ReCNSTRCT collection didn’t just draw inspiration from the garments and the process, the team also decided to add some early 00s and Y2K vibes to the mix.

“Growing up in the late 90s and early 00s, I can relate so much,” says Karin. “Just looking through old photo albums from the age of 15 gives me a lot of inspiration right now and I love how everything digital felt so new back then.”

“Everything about the 00s feels exciting, but for deconstruction in particular, early Margiela is a great source of inspiration”, Viviane adds.

And the millennium can inspire in other ways, too. Per is more into the aesthetics of Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano and reveals that he loves Cavalli of that era.

“It’s not the references that are most common when we talk about Y2K trends, but I think the jeans I made for this collection sort of fits into that world,” he says.

But beyond aesthetic inspiration, the ReCNSTRCT collection is a window into a fashion industry where new fashion is made from old stuff and where waste is reduced to a minimum. Is this the way forward? The designers at Weekday seem to think so as they reflect on the idea of circularity.

“Today, for me, circularity is at least as much about how to take care of what already exists as it is about using new materials, creating new materials from old ones and exploring those kind of things. If you create something new, it feels important that it lasts a long time in both its material and design,” Per says.

I’ve always had a hard time throwing things away and many times that helped me to be creative by making something new out of what I already had.

Karin adds that circular fashion means many different things to her, from reusing readymade garments and fibers on a bigger scale, to taking care of what you already have so it last.

“I’ve always had a hard time throwing things away and many times that helped me to be creative by making something new out of what I already had,” she says.

A circular limited edition collection is one thing. Is circularity something they can see at the industrial level?

“It is a huge question that has to involve the whole industry. Every step affects the next and must be reviewed, and we also have to consider how we use our clothes and what happens after that,” Per says before adding that jeans actually are product with a long life. “It’s an incredibly well designed product actually I think it’s great that Weekday considers its role in a future fashion industry that for sure has to be more circular. I find that very inspiring.”

Vivanne also believes in a more circular fashion future.

“I think we can do it! With new technology and more awareness, I think we can become completely circular.”