About

The What

ReViVaL… by Rue creates handmade upcycled clothing, wearable art, and original art pieces rooted in transformation.

The work includes one-of-one garments, reconstructed denim, corsets, vests, jackets, pants, mixed-media artwork, and pieces that blur the line between fashion and art. Some are made to be worn. Some are made to be collected. Some are made because the idea would not leave me alone.

Each piece is recycled, reworked, and revived by hand — prepared for another life through fabric, stitching, structure, symbolism, and a little bit of chaos.

The Process

Every ReViVaL piece begins with a search for potential.

Materials are sourced in different ways: a familiar trip to the thrift store, a stop on the side of the road for a yard sale, rummaging through the discarded, or receiving donations from people kind enough to pass something along. Jeans, old work shirts, fabric sample books, blankets, and forgotten textiles all arrive with a past life, waiting to change form and become useful again.

All fabrics are cleaned after they are acquired, then sorted, studied, cut, stitched, and transformed with intention.

Some fabrics ask to be bold and raw. Some ask for structure. Some need freedom, while others need order. Rue listens through the process, allowing each piece to find its second life through silhouette, texture, detail, and story.

Termonology

Recycle
When material is broken down or reused to create something new. In ReViVaL, this usually means fabric, scraps, or materials are taken from their previous form and used as part of a new handmade piece.

Upcycle
When an existing garment or material is transformed into something of higher value, quality, or purpose. The original item is not just reused — it is redesigned, reworked, and given a new life.

Reworked
A garment that has been altered, rebuilt, reshaped, or redesigned from its original form.

Reclaimed
Materials that have been rescued, sourced, donated, thrifted, or found before being cleaned and used again.

One-of-One
A piece that is individually made and will not be recreated exactly the same way again.

Wearable Art
A garment made to be worn, but also created as an artistic object with concept, story, symbolism, and handwork.

Raw Edge
An unfinished or exposed fabric edge intentionally left visible as part of the design.

Appliqué
A design technique where fabric shapes are sewn onto a garment or textile surface.

Patchwork
A construction method using multiple fabric pieces stitched together to create texture, pattern, structure, or story.

Found Material
Fabric, clothing, or objects discovered through thrift stores, yard sales, donations, discarded textiles, or everyday searching.