We are very proud to present our campaign FULL CIRCLE  produced in collaboration with the Municipality of Amsterdam, among others. The campaign includes a documentary, event, photo and art exposition and a circular clothing collection. The documentary portrays the endless stream of millions of discarded garments and looks for solutions to break this vicious circle of overproduction, overconsumption and textile waste. FULL CIRCLE is a call to consumers, the fashion industry, and the government to work together against the overproduction and overconsumption of new clothing and be more creative with existing, already produced garments.

The dark world of textile waste
What happens if we live in a society in which we are no longer invited to be creative but tempted to consume at every turn? A world is emerging in which overproduction and overconsumption are the norms, and no one knows where the problem ends and the solution begins. The documentary FULL CIRCLE shows how we break through this vicious cycle. The viewer is immersed in the dark world of textile waste and the solutions against it.

This is what happens to your discarded clothes
The documentary shows what happens to clothes after they end up in the Sympany box. Sympany is faced with the task of processing 500,000 kilos of textile waste every week. Did you know, for instance, that employees sort these millions of garments by hand every day?

A circular clothing collection made entirely from discarded textiles
As a viewer, you get a look behind the scenes, following how designers Leonie Vlaar, Andrea Garcia and Annalie van Doorn, in collaboration with atelier Makers Unite and textile collector Sympany, make a clothing collection from donated textile waste. The textiles were donated by Sympany and several inspiring consumers, including poet Jesse Laport, creator Romy Bresseleers and Cosmopolitan Fashion Editor Fatou Thiam Dogo Fall Mawadior, who also share their personal story behind their donated clothing.

Creativity, borrowing and swapping are the solution
In addition to outlining the problem, the documentary provides insight into possible solutions and alternatives to the textile problem. For example, Romy Bresseleers proposes that the endless rotation of clothing is a solution, and it would be good to challenge yourself not to buy anything for half a year.

In short: a – shocking – look behind the scenes and inspiring story that incites action to do better from now on.

FULL CIRCLE: An infinite rotation of clothes
The circular fashion collection made of 15 pieces of clothing will be available exclusively at Lena’s Library, a clothing library in Amsterdam, from its online launch on December 12. From November 26 on Black Friday to December 15, instead of buying new clothes, enthusiasts can register for the online premiere of FULL CIRCLE. They also have a chance to be invited to the physical event in the clothing library, where a select group will be among the first to borrow a piece of clothing from the collection.

Photos by Laura van der Spek

Jacqueline Cramer: “Apart from using less, reusing, and the redesigning of textiles, it is important to think about more fundamental questions: how can we avoid overconsumption and the discard of clothing in the first place, and take a look at our clothing in a more conscious way?”

Jesse Laport: “The big fashion chains are investing too much money into creating an unsustainable climate in which too much clothing is the norm.”

Fatou Thiam Dogo Mawadior: ‘As a merchandiser, when I opened the clothing store, I saw how twenty people in a row bought the same top that hung under a spotlight at the entrance. If that same top had been hanging somewhere else, they probably wouldn’t have bought it.”

On Friday, 24 September, the MUMSTER MOVEMENT launched the ‘FULL CIRCLE’ campaign in collaboration with the Municipality of Amsterdam during the Dutch Sustainable Fashion Week. This campaign consists of a circular clothing collection, documentary and interactive exhibition. The launch event was organised for the press and public in De Hallen van Amsterdam. In addition to the documentary screening, the collection and the exhibition, the public could also register for swapping, donation, repair and recycling of clothing. The was closed with a panel talk initiated by Ware Westen and hosted by Janice Deul.

Photos by Landa Penders

Capsule Collection
The circular clothing collection FULL CIRCLE consists of fifteen pieces of clothing made entirely from donated textiles. This capsule collection is designed by three designers, each with a unique story:

Leonie Vlaar
Slow fashion Designer Leonie Vlaar brings back the visibility of creating clothes by designing and making custom made items. By involving the wearer through care and attention at every step in the process, she brings long-lasting awareness. She works closely with local weaving mills specialized in the development of recycled and natural fabrics, but she also looks at the mental well-being of the maker. As a coach, she uses fashion as a tool for young people to develop as a person and help them build a skillset.

Andrea Garcia from Serendipity Vintage Dreamer
Andrea Garcia is originally from Spain and currently lives in Amsterdam. She is the co-founder of Serendipity Vintage Dreamer. With Serendipity Vintage Dreamer, Andrea Garcia and Liseth van der Lee aim to reshape the fashion industry by giving clothing a new life and transitioning it to a fully zero-waste industry. With over ten years of industry experience, Andrea is here to change the way we look at circular fashion. Its core is creating modern yet functional waste-free designs with a strong DNA.

Annalie van Doorn
Designer, artist, traveller – Annalie van Doorn is an all-round creative person. In recent years she has travelled the world, working in the fashion industry and creating collections that were shown during the HC Paris Fashion Week. Annalie draws inspiration from her travels and fascination for traditional textile makers and methods. She wants to remind the world of what has been there for a long time. Craftsmanship and sustainability, therefore, play a key role in all her work.

Together they designed the circular clothing collection from donated textiles. The textiles were donated by Sympany and inspiring individuals, including poet Jesse Laport, creator Romy Bresseleers, and Cosmopolitan Fashion Editor Fatou Thiam Dogo Fall Mawadior. They all share their deeply personal stories behind the donated textiles. The entire collection was made by newcomers from the Makers Unite atelier and will be soon available at various clothing libraries, including Lena Library in Amsterdam and other renting initiatives.

Photo by Landa Penders

Partners

Municipality of Amsterdam
The ambition of the Municipality of Amsterdam is a circular economy in 2050. The West District focuses on connecting circular urban policy with its residents and entrepreneurs. The Municipality shows what they can do themselves to contribute to a more circular lifestyle. The Municipality inspires visitors and residents with examples, stories and offerings from sustainable entrepreneurs. In this way, we encourage fair, sustainable and local purchases.

Sympany
Sympany is working on a circular textile chain by collecting, sorting and selling/recycling textiles. In this way, they focus on the maximum reuse and recycling of textiles to contribute to a sustainable world while preserving raw materials. Sympany has donated clothing for the collection and shares knowledge about collecting and recycling textiles in the documentary.

Makers Unite
Makers Unite offers creative newcomers talent development programs that enable them to work independently in the Netherlands. In addition, these creatives work together with Makers Unite on assignments from partners in a joint-design process. This way, Makers United strives for a more inclusive society in which newcomers can contribute with their talents and skills. The Makers Unite studio has created the FULL CIRCLE collection and has made this process transparent through the documentary.

The Swapshop
The Swapshop initiative arranges your own clothes swap for you. By handing in clothes to The Swapshop and they will give you Swaps back. In this way, they extend the life of the clothing, and they work towards a cleaner world: one without over-consumption, pollution and waste being incinerated. In addition to their voice in the documentary, they organize a clothing swap during the launch event. The public can take a piece of clothing as an entrance ticket, which they can exchange for another piece of clothing during the event or later in one of The Swapshop locations.

Lena Library
Lena is the first clothing library in the Netherlands. They believe in the transition to a circular fashion system, in which they focus on extending the life of clothing. By lending rather than selling clothes, less clothing needs to be produced, less consumed and never had to throw anything away. The clothing collection FULL CIRCLE is available in the clothing library after the exhibition.