Described by Gentleman’s Quarterly as an “upcycling sorceress,” Nicole McLaughlin is known to have turned old sneakers into vests, tennis balls into shoes, badminton shuttlecocks into slippers or oven mitts into jackets. She has worked on upcycling projects for sports brands such as Puma, Crocs, Russell Athletic and, most recently, JanSport. The artist has more than 600,000 followers on Instagram. Arc’teryx has announced a new collaboration with the New York-based designer, making her the brand’s first design ambassador. She will host a series of workshops and events with guests as part of the Arc’teryx Academy over the course of the partnership, starting with some events in New York City in the autumn. The events will offer participants the opportunity to create something out of their own “waste” materials, engaging them in the process toward a more circular clothing industry.
