Designers create World Cup-inspired fashion from Salvation Army donations

Six Los Angeles designers transformed donated jerseys into unique upcycled fashion pieces, with auction proceeds supporting Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Centers.

Well-worn soccer and football jerseys donated to The Salvation Army found new purpose as six Los Angeles designers transformed them into original fashion pieces ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

Called the World Cup Influencer Collection, the initiative featured more than 40 one-of-a-kind fashion pieces auctioned through The Salvation Army’s online thrift store during the tournament. 

Proceeds generated from the auctions directly support the operation of The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARC) in the western U.S.

“We contacted designers we’ve worked with in the past and asked them to get creative,” said ARC Director of Business Piers Fairclough.

Each participating designer received boxes of donated jerseys and sports-inspired apparel and spent roughly two months selecting usable materials and independently creating original fashion pieces.

The idea originated with Bianca Nemtoc, ARC Manager of Donations Development and Sustainability, after she saw pallets of unsold jerseys in Salvation Army thrift store warehouses.

“We wanted to showcase the creative potential of donated textiles while celebrating the excitement surrounding FIFA,” Nemtoc said. “Rather than viewing these unsold jerseys as the end of their journey, we saw them as the beginning of something new.”

She said she encouraged each designer to let their individual style guide the collection.

Among the participating designers was Elle Walters, founder of the Los Angeles-based upcycled fashion brand ELLERALI. 

A former marine biologist, Walters said her background shapes how she approaches environmental sustainability through fashion. 

“Jerseys already hold so much identity, pride, memory and emotion,” Walters said. “Being able to transform them into new pieces while highlighting circular fashion felt really powerful.”

She said she began her design process by studying each jersey’s colors, logos, graphics, textures, stretch, size and condition before imagining how the pieces could work together.

“With upcycling, you cannot force the fabric to become something it is not,” she said. “You have to listen to it.”

Walters created eight garments for the collection, cutting apart donated jerseys and reconstructing them into original designs using ELLERALI’s signature patchwork style.

“The process is part design, part puzzle, and part problem solving,” she said. “That’s what makes the work exciting. There is no exact pattern that can be repeated the same way.”

She said she spent hours planning and experimenting with each jersey, trying different styles until the design came together. Often, the material didn’t stretch as she expected, requiring her to adjust her approach and try again.

It was during those moments of trial and error, she said, that the most unexpected design ideas came to life.

“The limitations often lead to the most interesting design choices,” she said. “A logo might end up in an unexpected place. A color combination might become more exciting than what I originally planned. A flaw can turn into a feature.”

Although all six designers took on the same challenge, each approached it differently, resulting in a range of pieces, from dresses and crop tops to reconstructed jerseys.

Longtime upcycling designer and Born Again Vintage founder Bridgett Artise brought more than two decades of experience to the World Cup Influencer Collection. And, as the founder of Sustainable Fashion Week US, the project aligned with her mission of showing how secondhand materials can be transformed into contemporary fashion.

Artise began by reviewing the donated jerseys alongside several upcycled garments from her own collection, eventually combining them to incorporate additional colors, textures and materials into her design.

She said her goal was to create pieces that felt both sporty and fashion-forward.

“Each jersey already held its own story,” Artise said. “It was important for me to preserve that while also adding something new.”

Among Artise’s favorite creations was a jersey-inspired dress that paired a reconstructed soccer jersey with a corset-style bodice and lengthy patterned skirt.

“I want people to be inspired to see secondhand clothing not as waste, but as items that can be reimagined into something beautiful,” she said.

More than 20 pieces from the collection have sold, with winning bids ranging from $10 to $220 as the online auctions continue. 

Additional designs are forthcoming with a collection of reconstructed World Cup hats set to be auctioned during the tournament’s final week.

“I hope this collection helps people think differently about what they donate, buy and throw away,” Walters said. “Clothing doesn’t have to end when someone is done wearing it. It can be repaired, redesigned, shared, transformed and loved again.”