Jeremy Scott introduces upcycled couture with Hyundai

Fashion designer Jeremy Scott has launched an haute couture collection with Korean car company Hyundai upcycled from discarded automotive waste.

The partnership is a part of Hyundai’s Re:Style program, a now in its fourth-year project that works with leading worldwide fashion designers to upcycle automotive waste into clothing. Maria Cornejo, who made garments out of used car seat material, debuted the project in New York in 2019. In London’s Selfridges in 2020, Hyundai worked with six designers; in Paris’ Leclaireur and Seoul’s Boontheshop in 2021; and in London’s Selfridges in 2020.

This year’s collaboration, according to Hyundai, aims to “break stereotypes of sustainable design,” as Scott used deadstock fabrics and discarded components from the Korean automaker’s electric cars, including wheels, seat belts, tail lights, and windshield wipers, to produce an opulent collection.

Jeremy Scott, said that he honored and challenged when Hyundai contacted me. Making something out of materials he has never used before appeals to me greatly. Seatbelts and leftover taillights were undoubtedly a first, but it demonstrates how anything can be given new life with a little imagination. The intention, in my opinion, is to let the designs speak for themselves about the splendor of their planet and the need to safeguard and maintain it.

From March 23 to April 9, the collection will go on display at the Re:Style archive exhibition at Seongsu Ap Again in Seoul. Together with the Kona EV, the exhibit will also feature every Re:Style archival piece and the automaker’s whole lineup of electric vehicles.

Sungwon Jee, senior vice president and global chief marketing officer at Hyundai Motor Company, added that they are excited to present this collection by Jeremy Scott, which demonstrates that much of what they throw away can be repurposed and made into something beautiful through such vision and talent. They intend to keep communicating the electrification and innovation vision embodied in the brand-new Kona Electric and telling their narrative of sustainability in fresh ways.