Miu Miu launches first 100 per cent upcycled collection using designs found in vintage stores

Some of the pieces date as far back as the 1930s

Miu Miu has launched a new collection made entirely from upcycled vintage pieces.

The range, aptly named Upcycled by Miu Miu, includes 80 dresses that have been reworked using vintage designs.

The one-off pieces were all found in clothing stores and markets around the world, and date from the 1930s to the 1970s.

After being sourced by the Miu Miu team, the dresses were re-fashioned by hand: cut, spliced, made longer or shorter and finished with signature Miu Miu embellishments including crystals, ribbons and bows, meaning each look is entirely unique.

“Re-imagined through the Miu Miu lens, the life of garments worn and loved in the past is extended – renewed, sustained – thereby enriching the lives of the women who will wear them in the future in return,” the luxury Italian fashion brand said in a statement.

Two of the reimagined dresses were debuted by actors Elisa Visari and Chen Ran at the first-ever digital Green Carpet Fashion Awards on Sunday evening.

Visari wore an Upcycled by Miu Miu orange cocktail dress, made from an original 1960s design, customized with glass pearl embellishment on ivory duchesse silk puff sleeves.

While Ran wore an Upcycled by Miu Miu burgundy evening gown, made from a 1930s design, with an original sequined collar and customized with crystal embroidery on Victorian sleeves in black silk duchesse.

The full collection will be available to buy at the end of November in select Miu Miu boutiques.

Miu Miu was founded by Miuccia Prada, the co-chief executive and co-creative director of fashion label Prada in 1992.

This is not the first time that Prada has stepped up her sustainability game.

In November 2019, the designer announced that Prada had become had become the first luxury brand to sign a sustainability deal worth €50m (£43m).

The five-year sustainability loan, which is reportedly the first of its kind in the luxury industry, allows for the Italian fashion house to alter its interest rates on an annual basis if it achieves certain eco-friendly objectives.

Alessandra Cozzani, chief financial officer at Prada, explained the significance of the sustainability loan.

“This transaction demonstrates that sustainability is a key element for the development of the Prada Group, increasingly integrated into our strategy,” Cozzani said in a statement sent to Vogue Business.