Cate Brown likes to feel outdoors the box about vogue. As an alternative of scouring flea marketplaces, thrift outlets and consignment shops for adorable outfits, the designer lookups for couture-good quality clothes that she can completely transform into just one-of-a-form toss pillows. “I’m impressed by outdated-planet glamour and fabulous style materials of times long gone by,” she tells Business enterprise of House. “I’m on a mission to honor these layouts by supplying them a next life.”
Cate Brown with the 01 pillow by Jody Morlock for Cate Brown StudioCourtesy of Cate Brown Studio
Immediately after 15 years working as an inside designer through New York and Vancouver, Brown noticed an alarming craze. “The trend and layout industries create an remarkable amount of money of textile squander,” she states. “I knew I necessary to obtain a inventive way to be additional sustainable about my styles.”
For Brown, this meant turning to her own wardrobe for inspiration. In its place of hanging on to pieces that she liked but hadn’t worn in decades, she made the decision to change some of her most treasured outfits objects into bespoke decorative pillows for her possess household. “I like making really personalized areas, and very little is much more individualized than a decor accent crafted from a beloved garment,” she claims.
In 2019, she launched her namesake studio with Re-Uncover, a collection of 24 hand-built toss pillows composed of made use of textiles sourced from her possess closet and different classic shops. “It was a new, eco-conscious idea that I desired to share with other designers and retailers,” she claims.
Brown repurposes classic designer wares into ornamental pillowsCourtesy of Cate Brown Studio
Right now, her studio offers extra than 700 exclusive cushions crafted from legendary ensembles ranging from many years-old Chanel boucle jackets to Jeremy Scott for Longchamp skirts and classic plaid Burberry trench coats. “London and New York vintage stores are a treasure trove of these types of clothes, as are some of the on the internet luxury classic sellers like The Luxurious Closet and The RealReal,” she suggests.
The Cherry O 01 pillow (still left) and Gimme a Beet 01 pillow by Cate Brown StudioCourtesy of Cate Brown Studio
All of Brown’s designs get started as carefully worn garments that she deconstructs and fashions into pillows. “I normally mix in useless-inventory textiles for backers or leathers from vintage jackets,” she claims. “It’s a lot like putting an outfit with each other.”
When planning a piece, Brown likes to permit the garb’s couture-top quality details—such as cautiously utilized bows, buttons and pockets—do the speaking. “I often pay homage to the heritage of the garment,” she suggests. “I like imagining the locations it has been in the past, as properly as the new life it will lead.”
In addition to an array of upcycled designer finds, Brown also collaborates with preferred artists on recycled cushions for her charitable Supporting Hearts campaign. The line features 20 layouts by up to date painters including Tina Psoinos, Jody Morlock and Julia Rivera, with all proceeds heading immediately to New York Cares, the largest volunteer network in the city. “I have genuinely relished viewing these artists set their individual touch on classic garment materials and turn them into remarkable works of art,” says Brown.
Hunting forward, she has programs to launch a assortment of bags and carry-on instances this spring, and is presently tricky at get the job done on prototypes for an outside-pleasant line of pillows, throws and poufs. “I hope to extend my gross sales reach and inspire other homewares firms to locate approaches to repurpose and reuse means that are presently all over us,” says Brown. “This way, we can make a collective effort to cut down textile waste.”
If you want to find out far more about Cate Brown, take a look at her internet site or comply with her on Instagram.
