Meet the Soho House member helping to drive change this Earth Day

Berlin-based upcycling brand and consulting studio, Rebirth Studios, is on a mission to drive change across the fashion industry. The brainchild of former stylist and fashion creative Liz Valentina Thieme, its aim is to inspire both sides of the business – manufacturers as well as consumers – to help shape a circular fashion culture by giving unused and deadstock materials new life.

As well as designing and making pieces under its own label, Rebirth Studios collaborates with partner brands and artists (Drykorn and Levi’s among them) to transform textile waste into quality fashion products of all kinds. After the success of similar collabs where members and designers like Felder + Felder have reimagined our out of circulation beach towels as Miami Pool Totes, we’re now joining that growing list with a three-piece summer accessories capsule crafted from the pool towels at Soho House Berlin. 

Launching on Earth Day (Saturday 22 April), members and guests are invited to join us at the House to discover and shop the collection for themselves. But first, let’s find out a little more about it and meet the woman behind the idea and the brand.

Tell us a little about the inspiration behind Rebirth Studios 
‘I love fashion and the power it gives us to express ourselves. But as with so many others, much of the fashion industry runs with linear systems where valuable resources are wasted. At Rebirth Studios, we believe there are healthier ways for us to consume fashion. The circular model we pursue reflects that.’

And what inspired this collection specifically? 
‘When I became a member last year, I had the idea to use the iconic Soho House towels for an upcycling project while chilling by the pool. We had a previous collection made from vintage towels, so I already understood what would be involved in terms of viability and timescales, and so on. And now here we are, with three different products: a bucket hat (€45/ £40/ $49), a beach bag (€69/ £61/ $76) and a toiletry bag (€39/ £34/ $43), all made from disused Soho House towels and Soho House bedsheets, and all produced in Berlin.’

Why is sustainability so important to you?  
‘Our magical planet is our only home and we have to protect it. Using textile waste is a way to respect and care for it and its resources. But other elements – such as working with local manufactures – are all part of that too by helping to reduce our carbon footprint and so on. I believe that if we respect our natural resources and all the living things on our planet, we can coexist in a happy and healthy way.’

Is your choice to launch this project on Earth Day part of that?  
‘We saw this day as a great opportunity to introduce our pilot project. We hope members will get involved and show their support by buying upcycled products. They can be bought at Soho House Berlin at the launch event or at a later pop-up. We will also be hosting a workshop for all members where everyone has the opportunity to create their own upcycling pieces using leftover Soho House materials.’

Are you planning to take this global? 
‘Hopefully. We want to see how members receive the project and our products. Personally, I think it has a huge potential to create such solutions for all Soho Houses around the world. We are also very open to other projects and collaborations around minimising textile waste – we hope this is the start of those conversations.’

Finally, if you could recycle anything you wanted, what would it be?  
‘All fishing nets that are on the ocean floor.’

Apply for membership at Soho House Berlin