On 22nd October, our Project Lead, Harriet Sanderson, headed over to visit Ronnie and Kym, the brilliant minds behind Polehog. Known for their expertise in designing and tailoring pole fitness clothing, they took on an exciting challenge with us: transforming one MTP combat jacket and two pairs of MTP combat trousers into a completely unique tote bag.

Ronnie and Kym are well-versed in crafting garments from stretchy performance fabrics, so upcycling military textiles presented them with a new challenge but both were more than keen to dive in, explore the possibilities, and collaborate with Harriet in giving these retired garments a new purpose.

Deconstruction & Discovery

We kicked off by unloading boxes of military textiles onto the cutting table. From there, it became a process of discovery - examining fabric types, garment shapes, and any distinctive features or imperfections that could be celebrated in the final design.

After some creative exploration, we landed on a plan:

• Two sleeves and the back panel of the jacket would form the main body of the bag

• The jacket’s front fastening strips were reworked around the top edge to create a closing mechanism

• Waistbands from the trousers became sturdy, character-filled bag straps

Cutting, shaping, and assembling the pieces took several hours, but the result was more than worth it. A particularly special detail emerged during the process: both pairs of trousers once belonged to the same person, whose name was still written on the labels. We chose to keep this signature in place as a subtle reminder of the garment’s journey.

Breathing New Life Into Old Uniforms

This tote bag is just one example of how retired military uniforms can be transformed into meaningful, sustainable fashion items. It also perfectly reflects what we’re striving for at Operation Upcycle - a collaborative, circular fashion model that not only reduces waste but also tells a story and inspires others to think differently about the materials around them.

A huge thank you to Ronnie and Kym at POLEHOG LIMITED for their creativity, enthusiasm, and support throughout this project. We’re thrilled with how the final piece turned out, and even more excited to see what innovative designs the students at the University of Southampton will dream up next.