T4EU Summer School 2025: Upcycling Denim into New Designs
Giving New Life to Denim
11–15 August 2025 | Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia
About
From 11–15 August 2025, the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) hosted the summer school workshop ‘Recrafted: A Workshop for Shoe & Bag Upcycling.’ 23 students from eight countries took part, giving discarded denim a new life as unique shoes and bags. Guided by professional shoemakers and bag designers, participants experimented with different upcycling methods, working with materials provided by Uuskasutuskeskus, the Reet Aus studio, and Guild store.
The workshop highlighted sustainable design practices, teaching students not only craft techniques but also the value of circular design thinking. Coming from diverse disciplines such as animation, programming, and design, students produced a wide range of creative outcomes.
Recrafted was part of EKA’s ‘Creative Circularity’ summer school within the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Summer School 2025, co-funded by Erasmus+. Alongside the Green Transformer Student Challenge, this year’s program focused on sustainability, upcycling, and innovative approaches to design.