With creations that use unsuspecting materials to subvert your expectations, Nicole McLaughlin’s unique eye for design has garnered thousands of followers. A hobby revolving around the exploration of upcycling and sustainable fashion turned into a career in 2018. Since then, she’s skyrocketed her talents throughout the world of fashion.
McLaughlin considers her creative process tongue-in-cheek, and has used Instagram as an archive for her many upcycled 1-of-1 creations. She’s brought her experimental, sustainable approach to many major brands like Reebok, Russell Athletics, Crocs and even high-end Canadian outdoor brand Arc’teryx. Not only are the designs sustainably-focused, they’re actually dope, too.
The materials she cleverly reimagines range from Colgate toothpaste tubes to Haribo gummy packs. Her upcycle picks even go beyond food using fun things like Legos and basketballs. With what seems like an endless list of sustainable possibilities, we felt it was only right to share some of her tastiest design highlights.
This clever use of Chipotle’s brown napkins resulted in super fly zip-off cargo pants that you can not only rock proudly, but also keep your hands clean with.
Who would’ve guessed that the sturdy crust of sourdough bread could be used in such a useful way? Keep your tools neat and organized with this yeasty belt.
This delectable cupcake bra puts a whole new twist on a birthday suit. They also come equipped with candles to ensure all your wishes are granted.
Talk about drip, McLaughlin keeps things fresh and refreshing with this fruit-inspired accessory. If savory is more your style, she also created Tangy BBQ along with sweet TicTac shades.
Fresh and crisp, the Pickheel will keep you fashionably satisfied. The attached jar of pickles can be easily opened and served fresh with a twist of the heel. The design was inspired by Rosemary Jane Cronin’s shoe sculpture.
Taking Carhartt beanies to new levels of toastiness, this doughy creation is perfect for the winter season. McLaughlin covers all your bread kneads with accompanying mitts and vest.
The Sauce Boss Shorts are the perfect condiment compliment and will ensure you’re prepared to flavor up any situation. Pull up packed with style and say goodbye to asking for extra sauce.
Probably one of the flyest uses of gumballs in history, McLaughlin’s Gumball Puffer Vest is bubbling with style. I can actually see this being worn to the annual MET Gala, it’s definitely red carpet-worthy.
The Snack Queens will have you sliding into any event with flavor. They come equipped with a tray of crinkle cut fries along with sauce-ready socks that have a ketchup pack pocket attached.
Rivaling the Gumball Puffer Vest for dopest upcycled food piece is the Waffle Vest. It features a slew of mini waffles with waffle pockets sized to perfectly fit a bottle of syrup, fork and knife.
While these are only a few of McLaughlin’s many interesting designs, she has more than enough to keep you entertained and sustainably-minded on her Instagram. According to her website, she’s currently developing a non-profit organization in hopes of providing much-needed design resources to young people and connecting large companies to schools and universities in need.
