Upcycling discarded denim with Anna Foster of ELV Denim

Can a discarded pair of jeans become a luxury item? Anna Foster, founder of the sustainable fashion brand ELV Denim, has saved thousands of garments from landfill by proving that they can. She joins Grant Gibson to discuss how ‘material intelligence’ is redefined in the world of high fashion. In this episode, we dive into the complex water footprint of denim and the design of a regenerative fashion loop. We discuss: East London Vintage : How ELV is proving that ‘women are born to innovate.’ Radical Localism : Finding all her skilled makers within a three-mile radius of her studio. Rethinking Luxury : Value and desire in materials that other people reject. Expanding the Palette : Upcycling old hotel linens and expanding beyond denim. Anna also reflects on her 20-year career as a fashion editor and why she prefers her denim without stretch. Explore more : Visit materialmatters.design for more on our fairs and conferences, and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates and insights on material intelligence. Important fact check: Grant misread some of his statistics in this episode. We produce between 4.5 to 6 billion pairs of jeans a year and a pair of jeans uses 3,800 litres of water to produce. We’re happy to correct these errors. Support the show

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Upcycling discarded denim with Anna Foster of ELV Denim is an episode from Material Matters with Grant Gibson by Delizia Media.

This episode is 69:13 long.

This episode was published on Mar 11, 2026.

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