(Re)Thread
Deandra Green interviews Alexa Schempers, founder of the Cape Town, South Africa born and based upcycled fashion brand “ReThread.”
WHAT IS THE CONCEPT AND PURPOSE OF RETHREAD?
‘Rethread’ is a sustainable fashion brand that I founded while studying my Master’s in Amsterdam. Rethread offers three categories of clothes – designer & high-quality second-hand, redesigned or rather upcycled pieces and then lastly, we also make a really small collection of new items which are all made by women in the local community in South Africa. We also offer a consignment service where you can bring us items you no longer wear and we sell them on your behalf. We also give the option to re-consign any piece you bought from us previously.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE RETHREAD?
During my personal journey of transitioning away from fast fashion and to a more sustainable way of dressing I discovered my love for resale. It’s the thrill of the treasure hunt thrifting and selling process. Though I realize while engaging with this process that it’s not only time consuming but frustrating and off-putting because many stores and platforms have strict curation guidelines that make selling and shopping cluttered. This inspired me to reconsider the resale side - I wanted to find a way to bridge that gap by creating a service that is effortless for both sellers and build a curated shopping experience for buyers. In terms of redesign, I have always loved finding new ways to wear something I already have. This started with styling experimentation and evolved into actually altering and changing the pieces. Each piece is based on what makes me feel sexy and powerful, I wanted to share that with other women through this collection - thus the theme is rethinking power dressing.
WILL YOU TAKE US THROUGH YOUR DESIGN PROCESS?
Rethread’s upcycled collection is still new and experimental. Redesign is quite an intense process, you almost have to work backwards. Each piece is a unique challenge and very time consuming. It begins with sourcing… If I have an idea in mind I have to physically go and find pieces in the right style, color, size and quality, and potentially more than one of a similar style. The next step is creating a sample with a seamstress and a designer. If it works, we make more. If not, it is just a once-off piece and we let it live its unique little life. I also actually work with my mom a lot! She is super creative and eccentric. We put our ideas together and start creating. She was a fashion designer and had her own brand when she was my age. Since I never studied fashion design specifically, she helps a lot with the technical aspects. Being able to work with my mom, is actually one of my favorite parts of the process!
WHAT KIND OF METHODS DO YOU EXPERIMENT WITH?
We experiment with many different methods but in this collection we focused on altering through the cut-out method as well as adding a rouged effect. The corset was our most intricate piece and was actually made from a pattern, where we used material from a suit jacket. There are many other methods that I still want to explore such as laser printing, denim and dying or embroidery. Upcycling is really more about the process than the end result, and it is something you really have to love and passion for as it is very time consuming.
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO THOSE WHO WANT TO SELL AND BUY SECONDHAND CLOTHING?
For selling, you first have to figure out what your personal priorities are. Is it money? Is it convenience? Do you actually enjoy the process of taking photos and posting? This will really determine where and how you sell because it involves a lot of communicate with your buyers online. If you want a process with less effort, I would suggest consignment at a store. While you will probably get only a small portion of the funds, you’ll save yourself time. For buying, not everyone loves the hunt, so if you are not a ‘thrifter’, there are so many finding secondhand platforms that allow you to search by size brand color, etc... yay for technology! There are also so many Instagram shops that offer curated collections of vintage and second hand pieces. My favorites places shops are Vestiaire Collective (Web), De Ruilhoek (Amsterdam) and Jean Vintage (Instagram). I love going to consignment stores because you find amazing deals on brands that you might never be able to afford new, and in the same trip you can take items you no longer wear to swap.
IS LOCATION IMPORT TO THE IDENTITY OF RETHREAD?
I founded Rethread in Amsterdam, which is a second-hand and thrifting haven. The city inspired me to start Rethread while I was living there. I am currently back in South Africa, where I am originally from. I returned when COVID happened, so my plans had to change a lot for the brand, but it has been a blessing in disguise. I feel more capable starting up in South Africa because my network is larger here. This makes a huge difference in your startup phase, you need that support system. I also used to work as a stylist here , so I can shoot content here by collaborating with friends in the industry. While I’m currently based in SA, I will do international shipping and hope to build a brand presence internationally.
WHY WERE YOU DRAWN TO VINTAGE AND SECOND-HAND BUYING ?
I love when you go thrifting and you find something that fits you perfectly and that you love, it is just such a cool and satisfying moment. Like you almost feel you are the only person with that piece. I love shopping and it used to be a bit of a compulsive habit for me, constantly buying new stuff, not proud but, you know how it is... Then I discovered resale, which allows you to have this rotation of styles without this guilty feeling and knowing that you are not contributing to a consumption and waste issue. That is what got me hooked on buying and selling.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE OF RETHREAD?
I hope to inspire people to get a little more creative with their clothing whether selling it online or styling it in more than one way. Overall, I aim to contribute to positive change and reducing waste in the fashion industry. There is already so much stuff in circulation, and I hope Rethread can tap into this endless resource of secondhand clothing and find ways to make old clothes new and interesting. It’s an exciting thought to never produce anything brand new. I would also really like to find more methods of redesign and share the methods in order to reduce the barriers to entry. Essentially I hope to make redesign more mainstream and even the preferred method of creating. I also hope that Rethread’s collection can shift people’s perception of what sustainable fashion looks like. I think for a long time, redesigned pieces were seen as a bit ‘artsy crafty’ in a negative way, and I want our collection to look and feel high-quality, unique and stylish. This collection represents rethinking fashion and celebrating powerful women and how they use fashion as an expressive tool. I hope that anyone who wears a Rethread piece can feel that energy - unapologetically powerful and amazing.
PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHAEL OLIVER LOVE
CREATIVE DIRECTION: ALEXA SCHEMPERS
STYLIST: GREG RUSSILL
HAIR/MAKEUP: CHARLI JVR
MODELS: SUMMER THOMPSON & DAM ONI
