We were lucky to catch up with Joy Tang recently and have shared our conversation below.

Joy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I bought my first sewing machine in 2019 with the intention to turn one of my dresses into a jumpsuit. I thought I could simply cut the dress down the middle and sew up the sides into pants — turns out that didn’t work and I had ruined a perfectly good dress, so I thought I should properly learn how to sew. I watched countless youtube videos and tutorials, and I learned by trial and error. I learned different skills depending on what and how I wanted to upcycle, but in hindsight, it may have been more effective to learn the basics of sewing first. When I upcycle, I’m working with a limited amount of material, so the most essential skill I learned was to measure before you cut. This might sound obvious, but once large piece of fabric is cut, it’s difficult to return it to its original state unless you extend it by patching it up. I’ve extended more pieces of fabric more than I’d like to admit (: Since I also work a day job, it’s been challenging to find long periods of time to dedicate to learning more and sewing more.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! My name is Joy, and I have been an upcycler for the past 4 years. I started upcycling because I wanted to turn my closet of preloved clothes into something new. After learning how to sew, I gained a new appreciation for those who makes our clothes. Diving into the world of fashion and ethical manufacturing practices motivated me to shop secondhand, and question the practices of some of my favorite brands.

I work with all types of fabric, but I mostly enjoy working with denim. It’s been so rewarding to see my friends wear my upcycled pieces as they go about their lives, and even more so when the final product was made from their own preloved clothing. As an artist, I have been exploring how I can combine my Chinese culture with my American upbringing, and I am most proud of the qipao inspired east meets west set I upcycled out of my boyfriend’s preloved chinos.

Throughout the past 4 years of upcycling, I’ve thought a lot about what I want my brand to look like. After trying many different iterations, I’m in a place now where I just want my page to be a place where I can display my work. Since upcycling takes time, that means I might not be able to share new artwork everyday, and I am perfectly content with that. I want to stay true to myself as an artist, and continue to be intentional about what and how I craft. Stay tuned to see what I’ve been cooking up… :)

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist or creative is seeing my creation come to life. Despite the sometimes arduous process, I’m so grateful for the opportunity and the ability to be able to transform a mere idea into something tangible. Seeing others wear my creations proudly is just the cherry on top.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Since learning about how the fashion industry contributes to 10% of global carbon emissions, my creative journey started and will continue to revolve around upcycling to reduce clothing waste. I’ll always be exploring and creating different blends of styles from preloved garments, and I’m extremely grateful that I can continue creating this way.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @byjoytang