Calvin Klein Jeans Upcycles Denim in Hong Kong

Calvin Klein Jeans tapped Fashion Clinic, a Hong Kong-based collective of designers and tailors with specialties in redesigning and upcycling deadstock garments and materials, to help tell a visual and wearable story about denim waste.

The PVH Corp.-owned brand partnered with the collective to develop the Reimagined Denim Collection made from excess and reworked denim. Handcrafted in Hong Kong utilizing 2,000 pairs of unworn jeans, no two pieces in the collection are the same. Fashion Clinic brought the pieces to life through patchwork, reinforced rips, washing and distressing techniques. Labels, buttons and zippers were also kept intact to further reduce waste.

Garments spanned an oversized ’90s jacket re-cut from four pairs of jeans and eight hours of handcrafting to straight crop jeans spliced together from two pairs of jeans with contrasting washes. Other items included a hat, skirt and bralette.

The garments were available from June 22-July 13 exclusively at a dedicated located at the Times Square Hong Kong shopping mall. Upcycled denim and “rescued textiles” were used throughout the space to create a denim jungle, including a giant denim tiger made from repurposed materials to mark the Year of the Tiger.

“The Calvin Klein Jeans Reimagined Denim Collection is an important step in our sustainability journey and reinforces our dedication to reducing our impact on the planet,” said Tom Chu, PVH Asia-Pacific regional president. “By working with a local Hong Kong organization devoted to responsibility in fashion, we are able to bring a new perspective to Calvin Klein and a collection that will resonate with our sustainably-minded consumer.”

Calvin Klein donated 10 percent of net proceeds from the Reimagined Denim collection to Friends of the Earth, a Hong Kong environmental conservation group.

The brand also hosted in-store activations such as an environmental quiz, DIY upcycle tote bags and a workshop where customers transformed denim scraps into coasters using Fashion Clinic’s needle punching machine.