The debut Fall/Winter 2026 collection still has some pieces that look traditionally upcycled: three Armani dresses spliced into one, and an oversized men’s shirt ruched with a drawstring cord. But the majority could pass as entirely new pieces. A particular triumph is the wedding dress reimagined as a bomber jacket with heavily embellished cuffs, or the matching tailored pants. “What people send us is total anarchy — every brand, every color, every fabric,” he says. “We have to make it look new and cool and coherent. That’s the magic.”

A luxury proposition

Price has always been the biggest stumbling block for upcycling businesses. Taking an existing garment apart, salvaging as much of the fabric as possible, and redesigning it into something fresh is a time-intensive process, and time is money. That’s why so many have repositioned themselves as luxury services, including London-based brand ELV Denim and redesign studio Phini.

Most of the redesign projects Menabóh takes on cost between €300 and €1,000, depending on the complexity of the craftmanship, but some sit beyond this range. Marchetto recently turned a wedding dress into a heavily embellished mini skirt, corset and top, while the veil became a dramatic petticoat, totaling €2,500 in labor costs spanning pattern-cutting, tailoring and embellishment. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s a slogan T-shirt reimagined as a slinky backless top, which would come in around €150. “I don’t like the word ‘accessible’, but it’s less than buying something new from a luxury brand like Prada or Gucci,” says Rialti.