Buzzword Upcycle

What would it look like if Andre 3000 met Gogol Bordello in the New Mexican desert for a peyote-induced love affair that produced a fashion baby?

Well, if you followed those pop culture allusions, then take that style mashup and roll it in mid-'90s grunge fashion with a touch of American Apparel preppiness. That? That beast is what 11th Decibel—a line of recycled apparel creations by local designer Jarrod Arthur—looks like. (And yes, the name is a Spinal Tap reference).

Using no sewing machine or screen printer, only needle and thread, Arthur doesn't make clothes, he embellishes them.

"I take something that's a dead item of clothing and bringing it back to life," said Arthur, who is wearing a pair of Weekend at Bernie's sunglasses that might have belonged to my grandfather, what I assume is a Native American medicine pouch on a leather cord around his neck, and a gray-and-white pin-stripe button-down with a brightly colored Southwest-pattern silhouette of a wolf hand stitched to the right side of his chest.

"When I buy it, it's an ugly item," says Arthur. "If I cut a piece of fabric off an old shirt, I save the collar and put it on something else."

Arthur's "use the whole buffalo" approach to fashion gives Decibel 11 cohesiveness despite the wide range of styles—patterns and fabrics repeat themselves in different functions throughout the collection—and, no doubt about it, the line is cohesively loud. Arthur will show his pieces in the LOUDAH fashion show at Astro Lounge on July 5, along with Sarah Viles, who is creatively known as Homeslice, and creates jewelry and beads made from old comic books and repurposed hubcaps, as well as jewelry designer Ashley Scholtes (Mitch Jewelry), all of whom will collaborate with local body painter Natalie Fletcher, who will paint models head to toe, as they showcase the upcycled jewelry and clothing.