rkivecity’s Latest Collection Honours Conservationist Efforts With Its Upcycled Garments

From the wrinkling of our skin to the wear and tear of our favourite clothes, ageing is too often considered a bad thing. We’re taught to appreciate the brand-new and shiny, causing us to treat our goods as disposable. Where we would once carefully stitch the torn seam of a well-worn dress back together, we’re now ready to toss our clothes in the trash and, with the click of a button, order a replacement right to our doorsteps. What this fast fashion model neglects to acknowledge, however, is the beauty we can find in our aged garments. 

Wine appreciates as it ages because, with each passing year, various chemical processes allow a bottle’s flavours to deepen and grow more complex. In the same vein, a piece of clothing carries a unique history observable through its texture and patina, giving it character through its aged appearance and sentimental value. Reused materials then become a tool in the world of fashion not only for minimising waste in an abundantly wasteful industry but for the originality and history they imbue in each garment. 

New Delhi-based research and design house rkivecity honours the value of old garments from both a sustainability and artistic standpoint. We first covered the homegrown label in 2023, impressed by their ability to reinvent post-consumer textiles. Now, rkivecity is back with a new collection, transforming discarded textiles into distinctive wardrobe staples. 

Arkivum: Ramathra, Rajasthan debuted digitally at Milan Men’s Fashion Week. The collection plays with temporality, using old materials to create contemporary Indian-inspired silhouettes and bridge the gap between the past, present, and future. This is the beauty of upcycling: the ability to preserve what once was whilst innovating and transforming with the times. 

The collection is notably presented in Ramathra, Rajasthan, a region renowned for conservation and restoration efforts. The 150-acre land is meticulously looked after and protected by local conservationists, forging a deep connection between them and their natural surroundings.  This relationship and the act of conservation itself perfectly embodies rkive city’s ethos; we must protect what we have while simultaneously not just accepting, but embracing, change. It only makes sense, then, that the collection is proudly displayed against Ramathra’s rural scenery and forgoes traditional models in place of street-cast locals.

We’ve said it before, and will say it again: sustainable, circular fashion is the only feasible model for our future. rkive city proves to us that innovation and reuse go hand in hand so we don’t have to sacrifice our style for the greater good. Rather than simply being in awe of the efforts of conservation sites like Ramathra from afar, we too can exemplify its values through our daily practices, making a conscious effort to do better by our planet and looking good while doing it.

Find rkivecity here.

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