The Theatre Times: Reet Aus has spent her career in fashion and theatre committed to sustainability, where she’s learned from the world’s most efficient designer: nature.
Everything began at the Von Krahl theatre in Estonia, after completing her MA studies in fashion in the early 2000s. Concerned by the wastefulness of the industry, Reet started to test new ways of working—making costumes by only using existing materials or sourcing materials from local recycling centers.
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I first heard of “upcycling” back in middle school during what I believe to remember as a Disney Channel commercial. A girl upcycled her own clothes by adding scraps of old clothes to nice jackets to create a new design. I’m familiar with the concept of upcycling when it comes to costuming, but scenic design feels like an entirely different beast.
I can imagine that being sustainable in this way, (being honest to sustainability fully throughout the craft of design) can prove to be extremely difficult. For what an audience might not even notice the difference of, choosing to upcycle an entire costume design, set design, etc. can be time guzzling and probably require more man-power to accommodate for the more time it would take to succeed with such a feat. I can imagine that many theatres aren’t too fond of the idea when matters of money and time are of concern. (Which is more often than not, sadly enough. Sigh… capitalism.) I am impressed by Reet Aus and her commitment to this craft.
I think up cycling is a part of every designers upbringing. As most of the students at this school came from a high school program, likely with no money, I think we all have experience using materials that are scavenged for. I personally have been to so many junkyards looking for a fridge for our production of Drowsy Chaperone. I think that it is a really interesting idea to continue that practice professionally, and I think that it is a worthy endeavor. It really makes one question why we need such large budgets for our shows, when we could really get most materials we use for free, and create something even more interesting because of the history of the items on stage. The image in this article of the garments being throw away at the textile factory was particularly intriguing, because really anyone could get these materials for free if they are willing to scavenge. This designer does such a masterful job at reinventing these items and fabrics and it is really admirable. I would love to see more work from this designer, and think she has some really interesting process based projects that are really inspiring.
I really appreciate this concept that Reet Aus is trying to implement. The transparency that her ideas bring to the tarter industry, and others as well, is greatly appreciated and greatly needed. The impact of the projects and creations that Aus is trying to change could be greatly reduced by her method of up cycling. Not only that but it would also lower the budgets for shows so that companies were sure that the money they were spending was going to the right places as well as more sustainable ones. It would also force some more creativity on designers parts to become inventive in resourcing materials for their designs. I also greatly appreciate her approach to trying to get companies to adopt these ideologies. She understands that you can not force someone to change what they are doing when they do not see an issue in it. But that the people who care will change when presented with the opportunity.
I have heard the term “upcycling” before, though I never realized that it was different from recycling. After reading this article, I have a better grasp of how it relates, but more importantly, how it differs from recycling. I believe upcycling should be a much more common practice. Since upcycling doesn’t require as much material processing as recycling, it ends up being even more environmentally friendly that recycling. Reading through the article, and just thinking of similar projects and initiatives I have heard of, I am always surprised to hear just how resistant some are to accepting such processes and techniques. I understand how it is easier to stick to a “routine,” or just doing things the same way without changing because it simply works. However, as climate change grows worse and worse by the day, and with so much terrifying fact and research available about this issue, I don’t understand why so many higher-ups don’t want to integrate upcycling into their normal operating procedure. It doesn’t even have to completely change the work flow, it can be implemented over a long period of time, or even just change a couple small parts of a workflow without interrupting the overall process, and yet some people just refuse. It will always baffle me.
Considering all the waste that is produced by the fashion and textile industry yearly, I am so glad artists who focus on sustainability are being highlighted. I have definitely noticed an increase of upcycling online to the point that it’s become trendy to go to the thrift store, buy clothes that have potential, and make something you love with them. This is a great thing to become popular because thrift stores receive so many clothes that they can’t possibly sell them all. All of the clothes they can’t sell or donate head to landfills or are turned into rags. I love how this same concept of reusing and recycling is being implemented into theater. This designer is able to give a new life to clothing that would’ve been discarded. Her design process really fascinates me because she depends so much on the clothing she is upcycling. Does she sketch detailed designs in the early stages or let the pieces she finds guide her design? I'm guessing a mix of both.
I honestly first heard about being environmentally conscious and upcycling from the movie "The Lorax" and although that movie really emphasized the importance of our environment and our trees, it didn't really teach the common man how. I think becoming a better consumer and reusing what you purchase is teachable and something that is slowly coming into the mainstream. Back in the 1950s and 1960s the American Government had to run campaigns to promote the general public to throw away more of their goods and to stop hoarding, that was something that had to be taught then so the opposite can be taught now. I do think it is time we hold the companies accountable not just put all the burden on the consumer itself. I really enjoyed that this designer gave tips on how to actually take those first steps and lead people to living better. I think upcycling can feed into your creativity and is something that we in the industry should look into more. Costumes is a great place to start with upcycling but I hope scenery and other design areas also take part in lowering their carbon footprint and doing their part to make our environment better.
My high school director always said that there were three factors in getting materials: Cheap, Fast, and Good. You can try to have two of the three, but you can never have all three. This was obviously at the high school, but I still agree in many ways with this. With upcycling, in order for it to be good (and cheap for sustainability), it won't come easily or fast. I believe a lot that the entertainment industry can be a lot more environmentally friendly than it is today, but I think the main restrictor in this is often time. If you want something fast and good, it will be expensive and often times not that environmentally friendly. I think it is amazing how Reet Aus is being vocal about her choices to be a sustainable artist, and I believe it is definitely helping in the direction of getting more artists to become aware of more sustainable options in their designs. However, I understand when Aus says it depends and can be difficult to get artists to also upcycle or use sustainable methods for these reasons.
It is so inspiring to see a designer be able to so seamlessly weave sustainability into her design process. I have unfortunately never worked on a production where anyone in charge has even considered sustainability in their decision making. I think me and the people I worked with viewed theater, and art in general, as an exception to the rule. That we should be able to sacrifice eco friendly to achieve our loftiest goals. Looking back now, that obviously makes no sense. There is nothing that puts the arts above any other industry. There is nothing that suggests the environmental impact of the arts matters less than any other field. I’m grateful there are designers out there like Reet Aus who can serve as an inspiration to me and other young designers. Hopefully her ideals will spread in the next generation and theater can start the work to become more sustainable.
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