by Jussara Lee

What is Hand Me Up?

It is the collective subversion of wasteful fashion that fosters mutual participation of the wearers, artisans, and designers. 

The World of Hand Me Up

Rooted in the mission to bolster preservation as well as craftsmanship, bespoke designer and zero waste pioneer, Jussara Lee, dreamed up the elevated version of the hand-me-down concept and coined the phrase “Hand Me Up.” It revolutionizes the idea of circularity in fashion through transformative, artisanal techniques.  

This multi-layered, open source fashion model prioritizes the environment and counts on collaborative action, led by design, to deliver “new” clothes from items that hang idly in people’s closets. Hand Me Up is the antithesis of the outdated linear business model that encompasses extraction, pollution, consumption, and waste. Interactive, hands-on processes endow existing clothing with handmade techniques that are transformational not just for the garments, but for the wearers alike.

Community Workshops 

Jussara engages her clients in closing the loop with regular (and beloved) community workshops centered on how to revive preloved clothing. From darning holes in favored sweaters to naturally dyeing discolored items into vibrant, plant-based hues, participants challenge the constructed notion of disposability with refreshing results that, in turn, foster deeper relationships with their clothing. 

If you’ve ever felt the urge to completely overhaul your wardrobe, the Hand Me Up philosophy would encourage you to look no further than your inner artist to unleash your creativity onto these forsaken garments. Whether through the Japanese art of Hapa Zome, Sashiko, or dyeing with ancient colors, Hand Me Up promotes transformation rather than consumption and disposal.

One-On-One

Stains? Holes? Discoloration? Poor fit? Jussara’s custom service sessions tackle these common-catalysts to disposal while retaining the same care and attention as her more traditional tailoring. Think closet-streamlining meets bespoke, menswear hand-tailoring construction. 

The experience of getting clothes tailored is elevated to a bespoke level in which clients can express a multitude of their needs and customize the pieces accordingly. These one-on-one consultations encourage clients to evaluate and breathe new life into what already exists in their closets, and clothes in need of revitalization undergo meticulous inspection.

Hand Me Up Collection 

Jussara’s passion for revival and artisanship extends these use of couture handmade approaches that include embroidery, natural dyeing, block printing, patchworking, and appliqués to vintage designer pieces and the remnants of her own creations. 

The zero-waste core approach treats every bit of scrap otherwise destined for the trash bin as a valuable resource, and the fabric remnants from her custom pieces find their way to manual looms or become tiles of a textile mosaic. These would-be discards turn up in Lee’s coveting, one-of-a-kind pieces. 

Creative Mending Techniques

From custom embroidery, beading, block-printing, felting, hand painting, and the Japanese arts of Hapa Zome and Sashiko embroidery, the possibilities of creative repair and recovery are endless. It’s time we reinterpret fashion and mark a shift from textile disposal to recovery through design. Who knew that you could create a new top using old gloves? 

See some of the regenerative techniques come to fruition below and explore them all in the Jussara Lee Mending Catalog!

Repurposing and Hand Painting 

Natural Dyeing Felting

Appliqué Block Printing

Garments can grow with you, taking on new lives and new forms. With a splash of Hapa Zome through plant-based pigments or the intricate application of hand beading, your new wardrobe exists right within your own closet. Fashion becomes personally connected to the wearer, using Hand Me Up to breathe life into it. This mutually-beneficial symbiosis found in nature is the inspiration of Hand Me Up. It’s a form of stewardship, art, and togetherness. 

Hapa-Zome

Hand Beading 

To further explore the Hand Me Up model, an array of creative repair workshops and stay in the loop (no pun intended), you can check out Jussara Lee’s blog and YouTube channel! You can also contact Jussara Lee for questions or to schedule a 1-1 consultation.

All images courtesy of Jussara Lee.