I went along with Operation Upcycle with a few things in mind: to showcase our latest samples, meet people who really know their British Military Surplus, learn more about what they look for in products made from surplus materials, and hopefully introduce a few more people to what we're doing.

I came away with all of that – and a lot more besides.

Discovering Military Odyssey

If you've never been, Military Odyssey is a three-day living history event where more than 2,000 years of history are brought to life through battle reenactments, military vehicles, living history camps, traders and displays. 

This year, Operation Upcycle was invited to join East West Trading and the ALAB/Foundation, giving us a chance to showcase our sample collection before we refine and launch it. 

I arrived on Friday, before the show opened to the public, to get everything set up. I got the collection on the rails, put our banner up and then, naturally, decided to go exploring. 

And there was a lot to explore. It was hard to know where to begin!  

One of my favourite encounters was meeting Malcolm Dunlop and the 29th Hell and Back team, who were busy creating an incredible display of the Battle of Bastogne. They showed me how, in just a couple of days, they transform materials like chicken wire, OSB, foam and plaster into a finished set.  

I went back to see them on Saturday, this time in full costume and entertaining the crowds. They were clearly a popular part of the show – I even met some of their dedicated groupies who come back to see them at every event! 

Cannons, a Civil War and a very close call with my phone

There was something happening everywhere I looked.

I watched an American Civil War battle, where the first cannon blast nearly made me drop my phone into a giant puddle. Thankfully, both phone and footage survived.

The reenactments use gunpowder to create the noise and smoke, but no live ammunition is fired, so you get all the drama and spectacle without actual projectiles being fired.

What really adds to the experience is the live commentary. As the action unfolds, you're given context about what you're watching and why it matters. That was something I really appreciated throughout the weekend. I came away with much more than the experience of simply seeing something new; I learned from the people bringing that history to life.

It's this mixture of spectacle, history and incredibly passionate people that makes Military Odyssey such an interesting event. Everyone seems to have a story or a particular area of expertise or an object they're fascinated by.

And that brings me to one of my favourite discoveries of the weekend.

The plastic bag that wasn't just a plastic bag

The indoor trading area was packed with militaria, literature, photography, art, clothing, decommissioned weaponry, collectibles and all sorts of fascinating objects. There were plenty of pieces from the big screen too, including memorabilia and items connected to Star Wars and other blockbuster films.

This is where I met Glenn from Mad Mantiques and, for some reason, I found myself drawn to what looked like a completely ordinary plastic bag.

It turned out to be a waterproof rifle cover used during the D-Day landings.

These long, dark green, plastic sleeves at first glance, looked remarkably ordinary. I learned that these were pulled over weapons to help keep out seawater, sand and mud as soldiers made their way ashore. It was an incredibly simple piece of equipment, but if debris got into a rifle's moving parts, it could cause it to jam or fail to fire – and a serious obstruction in the barrel could make firing it dangerous.

I couldn't believe that something so seemingly unremarkable had survived for more than 80 years.

It's moments like that which really bring home why British Military Surplus is so interesting. These aren't simply old materials. They can carry history, memories and stories – and, when they're no longer needed for their original purpose, they can potentially be given a completely new life.

That's a big part of what we're exploring through Operation Upcycle.

Putting our samples in front of the people who know surplus best

Back on our stand, we had some of our newest samples on display ahead of refining and launching the collection.

Visitors could see some of the pieces we're currently developing, including our cross-body bag and roll-top backpack, as well as our handmade tote bag and other samples.

We're exploring how upcycled military clothing and accessories can take surplus materials and turn them into practical, contemporary pieces, while still retaining something of their original character.

Having these samples at Military Odyssey was a really valuable opportunity for us because we weren't just displaying the products. We were able to talk to people who work with military surplus every day and, perhaps more importantly, people who genuinely love it.

I wanted to understand what they might actually want from a collection made using surplus materials.

What styles appeal to them? What makes a product feel authentic? How important is the original material? What functionality do they expect? And how can we take something with a military history and turn it into something people genuinely want to use today?

We had some really interesting conversations, and I'm looking forward to taking what we've learned into the next stage of development.

Visitors to our stand could also register their interest in the collection, giving us a chance to keep in touch with people who wanted to hear more as the samples develop and the collection moves towards launch.

And then something happened that I wasn't quite prepared for.

People liked our tote bag.

I made this – with a lot of help – right at the start of the project as a learning experience.

Coming from a background in marketing and project management, I wanted to understand the challenge we were setting the students at the Winchester School of Art rather than simply handing it over to them. So, I spent six hours with Ronnie and Kym from Polehog, learning how to deconstruct, cut and transform the original surplus material into a tote bag.

It probably sounds like a small thing, but when you've spent hours designing and making something yourself, there's something incredibly satisfying about watching a complete stranger stop, pick it up and take a genuine interest in it.

For me, that was a lovely full-circle moment: something I'd made while trying to understand the challenge had ended up becoming part of the story itself.

Liza Dawson's jacket steals the show

We were also really pleased to have pieces from Liza Dawson (@minnelli.makes on Instagram) on display.

Her work attracted plenty of interest, and the jacket proved very popular.

It was brilliant to see how people responded to the different ways military surplus can be reimagined. That's something I think is really exciting about Sustainable Fashion – the idea that the materials already exist and can become something completely different rather than simply being discarded.

We're still refining our collection, but the feedback we received at Military Odyssey will help shape what comes next.

And then there was the Elvis tribute...

Of course, I couldn't write about Military Odyssey without mentioning the Friday night.

Once everyone had packed away for the evening, Andy from East West Trading lent me a hat so I could look the part, and I joined everyone in the main bar for a little boogie to an Elvis tribute act. I was still terribly underdressed! But I had a ball and eventually, I made my escape by sneaking out underneath the gate and heading home.

Not exactly what I expected when I set off for a weekend exploring military surplus!

What I took away from Military Odyssey

Seeing our samples on the stand and watching people stop to look at them was a real highlight of the weekend. But I enjoyed hearing directly from the people who know and love military surplus most.

I wanted to understand what people might be looking for from a collection made from military surplus, and Military Odyssey gave us a brilliant opportunity to find out.

I listened to people who understand military history and surplus, and I saw how passionate they are about preserving it. I talked to reenactors, traders, spectators and collectors, discovered objects I'd never have known existed, and got honest reactions to the things we're creating.

We're at an exciting stage with Operation Upcycle. We're exploring how upcycled military clothing can combine functionality, history and contemporary design, while keeping valuable materials in use for longer.

Military Odyssey helped us understand that opportunity a little better.

It also reminded me that behind every piece of military surplus there's potentially a story. Sometimes that story belongs in a museum or collection. Sometimes it can be passed on to another enthusiast. And sometimes, perhaps, it can become a bag, a jacket or another piece of clothing with a completely new purpose.

That's the bit of Sustainable Fashion that really excites me.

A massive thank you to everyone I met and spoke to over the weekend, and especially to Andy from East West Trading and the ALAB/Foundation for inviting me along.

It was an amazing event, a brilliant weekend and an experience I definitely won't forget.

Want to see where the collection goes next?

If you'd like to follow the development of the Operation Upcycle collection, register your interest to hear about our latest samples, get updates as the collection takes shape and be among the first to know when the finished pieces are available.