THE ROUGE MOTEL LORE
The Rouge Motel spawned from the belief that style and sustainability can be woven together seamlessly.
Rouge Motel’s Art-Wear and Jewelry are constructed from secondhand, donated, vintage, and antique materials. These discarded goods are then reworked by hand with creative flair and intentional re-imagination.
RM offers a sustainable, ethical, and slow alternative to fast fashion - one that doesn’t compromise on the fun of fashion. Our upcycled pieces are unique, one-of-a-kind items that speak to the joy of expressing one’s self creatively through clothing.
Rouge Motel is independently owned and operated in Eugene, Oregon. All items are designed and constructed by Arabella, an independent fashion designer and mixed-media artist.
WHY UPCYCLE?
Environmental: The clothing industry is responsible for a highly significant amount of carbon emissions, chemical and microfiber pollution of major waterways and surrounding ecosystems, and an extreme portion of the waste that sits in our few remaining landfills. In the U.S., the majority of our donations to thrift & charity stores never make it to a new home, and are often exported to become hazardous waste for communities in the Global South. We have more than enough textiles just waiting to be reimagined - and upcycling is a creative and eco-friendly alternative to mainstream fashion.
Ethical: Garment workers have historically been one of the most underpaid, overworked, and poorly treated worker groups across the world. Poor workplace regulation, unfair hours, unlawful wages, and chronic exposure to harmful chemicals are the shared experiences of countless workers worldwide who produce the clothes for our biggest fast fashion companies. Support of fast fashion and other mass-manufactured goods, is most often supporting the continuation of such immoral labor practices.
RESOURCES
For more information on environmental justice concerns in the fashion industry, and why we should opt to shop sustainably, here are a few helpful sources we recommend:
“Fast-Fashion: Unethical and Unsustainable.” by Lindsey Reid, UAB Institute for Human Rights Blog
Organizations:
Zine on sustainable fashion and upcycling tips coming soon!