Innovations in the field of waste management in Belarus:
hand held bags and paintings made from banners and polyethylene, carpets and tapestries from old textiles
“It all started thanks to a passion for music and dancing”
“IRISKIN” is the name of the brand of a 25-year-old Belarusian who decided to collect some types of waste in order to create trendy things from them. The project was named after a character from the TV series Everybody Hates Chris, who was able to profitably resell items from his van. It all began with a love for music.
Brand logo “IRISKIN”
Arthur Dubovik. Photo from his archive
— I’ve been dancing for a very long time, including teaching dance. I came to the field of ecology through hip-hop culture. You could even say that it all started thanks to a passion for music and dancing. They brought me into a culture where there is style, street fashion and dress code. In order to look consistent with my feelings and worldview, I always dressed in second-hand stores — unknowingly supporting secondary consumption. After that, I began to study everything related to clothing production: brands, materials. This is how I developed a base and extensive visual experience. Soon I felt that I could create something of my own. I wanted to try it, so I started with a regular shopper. And away we go. Everything is based on enthusiasm, creativity, with love for clothes, nature and people, — says Arthur Dubovik.
Former waste is transformed into elegant things. Photo by Arthur Dubovik
Arthur has a higher education in economics, with a specialty in industrial marketing. But routine office work was not for him. And for 3 years now, the waste recycling project has become the main thing in life.
At work. Photo by Arthur Dubovik
— How did I come to this? I just always appreciated creativity in life, got excited about the idea and started looking for similar work. I always wanted to make durable and unique things. I started with banners that one company gave away. I sewed a test bag and showed it to my partners, not counting on further cooperation. The employees liked the result. So I realized that I can work in the B2B sphere. Now shoppers using old banners or bags with logos have become the most common order. I try to do what I like in life and monetize it: I love to dance — I become a teacher, I get interested in environmentally friendly design — I start creating things from recycled materials, — Arthur preaches his philosophy.
Bags for separate collection. Photo by Arthur Dubovik
If at first the main material used was an unnecessary banner, today the list of recyclable materials has expanded, as has the range of manufactured products. The guy collects plastic bags, coffee packaging, scraps of trampoline nets, scraps of PVC fabric (awning) left over from production, unusable broken balls from a dry children's pool, accessories and old clothes.
In Arthur’s arsenal, he has his mother’s sewing machine, a steamer, a special heat press for converting plastic into fabric, and smaller tools. They all help turn ideas into reality when Fashionable things are created from waste: wallets, cardholders, covers for diaries and passports, hand held bags, laptop bags, snowboard covers, backpacks, cosmetic bags, messengers and even paintings. Plastic balls turn into earrings, bracelets and pendants. The guy not only implements his own ideas, but also accepts individual orders.
Photo by Arthur Dubovik
Arthur's first steps towards creating a personal brand were with a concern for nature, and today the introduction of eco-friendly habits continues. So, very soon the guy will present bags for separate waste collection, made from old banners.
— This will be one of my best products. I try to make the most of the collected material. Now I’m trying to create accessories from recycled plastic by printing on a 3D printer. There are plans to deal with fashion, clothing, and textiles, which will be produced with care for the environment. I want to bring the entire product line to excellent condition. Perhaps enter the European market, where you can try yourself as a clothing designer and do a show.
Snowboarder who knits and sews from rags
Elizaveta Devlin from Minsk has a similar craft: she gives textile waste a second life.
Elizaveta Devlin. Photo from her archive
— It all started as a hobby that brings me great pleasure: to create new products from old unnecessary things. Now, what we love is growing into something more — a waste recycling project. But for it to become large-scale, it takes time, which is not much yet. The main job is coaching. I teach people to snowboard. In addition, I’m also a divorced mother, so it’s quite difficult to take in everything at once.
Elizaveta named her project “eco.yeli”. It is already 3 years old. The young woman has always been interested in environmental issues. She watched documentaries and tried to implement eco-friendly habits into her daily life:
Photo by Elizaveta Devlin
The painstaking process of knitting from old textiles. Photo by Elizaveta Devlin
— Once I got to see a coach in Canada. While living there, I realized that the country has a strict attitude towards waste sorting and recycling. This knowledge was later useful to me in Thailand. I lived in a rented house. Before moving in, I was asked to throw away a huge bag of old clothes. I realized that I couldn’t throw it away and didn’t want to. I started looking on the Internet for ideas on what I could do with it. I came across a site like Pinterest, where I found a lot of ideas for making knitted items from rags. I also remembered how our grandmothers knitted clothes and carpets from old things. I also wanted to support this tradition. I knitted a rug for my home in Thailand. I returned to Belarus and did the same, but from my unnecessary clothes. And such a carpet became like a photo album for me: I won this T-shirt at a competition, I wore this one when I was 10 years old... I also like this about recycling: you leave the thing as a keepsake, but it’s not in the closet collecting dust, but benefits in a new form.
After this, the young woman decided to increase production speed. For this purpose she created a project account in one of the social networks and began sharing finished works. Elizaveta received a lot of responses, people began to bring old clothes. Some for future customers, some for their own ideas.
Such wonderful rugs are made from already unnecessary rags. Photo by Elizaveta Devlin
— I also recorded short videos with simple master classes on how to knit a carpet and a basket. I tell people when they write that something is not working out. I advise them what can be made from the available material. I am happy with the results that subscribers share. It's nice that I inspired someone to take on such a useful process. There are plans to record several full-fledged training courses in English and Russian.
Handbags and baskets. Photo by Elizaveta Devlin
Today, Elizaveta knits and sews items from clothing waste to order. But most of all she loves to create from the heart when there is inspiration. The materials are brought by people; the current list is in the “Reception of things” tab. The woman is geographically located in Minsk and says that people transfer recyclable materials for work through the Yandex Taxi service, Go, and in personal cars, and bring them to snowboarding classes.
— They even send them by mail. It’s nice and very inspiring that more and more people are trying to take a conscious approach to consumption and recycling. There is now enough material, which helps expand the list of finished products. I create a lot of things from clothes. I started with carpets. Now these are baskets, bucket hats, hats, bags, string bags, jewelry, animal beds, mini tapestries, and even once someone asked to knit a nest for pigeons. It’s more difficult to create clothes from such recycled materials: yarn is heavy.
Another thing that prevents the project from gaining momentum is that the material needs to be cut. Elizaveta does this manually, which takes a lot of time and effort. She thinks that for such work it is necessary to hire people separately or ask for the help of volunteers.
And even toys! Photo by Elizaveta Devlin
— There are various upcycling projects in Belarus. I would really like to create a common space for them. Today everyone is mostly on their own. There are various collaborations, but there is a lack of community. I would like to have a place where there will be warehouses, shops, workshops and classes for workshops. These are the plans for the future — to try to unite everyone. I’m also currently taking driving lessons to get my license. I dream that I will be able to come to people myself and pick up the collected textile waste.
Photo by Elizaveta Devlin