How Brier Holloway is scaling upcycling at Rokit Originals: 'Fabric first and design second'

Brier Holloway spent years reworking streetwear for a skateboarding company before joining Rokit Originals, the upcycling label of London vintage retailer Rokit. The move gave her the chance to take rework to a new level. “It allowed me to explore upcycling on a much larger, more commercial scale,” Holloway told FashionUnited.

Holloway trained as a fashion designer specialising in menswear, with a particular interest in vintage military clothing and denim. “My career has always been rooted in bespoke pattern cutting and creative fashion design, and over the years, these skills have translated naturally into rework and upcycling,” she said.

Holloway joined Rokit Originals about a year ago “with a big creative drive to build a really unique range of reworked garments.” She draws on her background in technical pattern cutting and manufacturing to explore new shapes and construction methods.

“A big part of it is finding the balance between being creative and making pieces that work commercially,” she said. “Ultimately, I want to keep pushing the RO design language and build something that becomes instantly recognisable as a brand in its own right.”

Fabric first

Designing from existing garments means the materials lead the way. “Every week we receive garments made from a wide range of textiles, creating endless opportunities for experimentation,” Holloway said. “The process is fabric first and design second, allowing the materials to guide the outcome.”

The approach has its challenges. One of the biggest ones is achieving consistency in fit from vintage clothing and also working around damages in the original garments, she said. “Sometimes working with worn areas enhances the design itself.”

Her own designs draw heavily on the 90s and 00s. “I love the big, bold shapes, heavy branding and use of layering within colours and garments,” she said. For autumn/winter 2026, she has seen customers move towards more whimsical dressing, with layered fine jersey, tonal tights and knitted boot covers.

Vintage goes mainstream

Holloway believes the demand for individuality has pushed vintage from niche to mainstream. “I think the drive for individuality has never been greater, especially in a world where so much of our lives are played out online,” she said. “People want to stand out and develop a personal style that feels authentic to them, and vintage is one of the best ways to explore that.”

That demand, along with a growing appreciation for reusing clothes, is something Rokit Originals aims to serve. “By making high quality reworked garments we can always offer something completely different, whatever their style is,” she said of younger shoppers.

Holloway wants to take the label to a wider audience. “The main focus is to keep building on the RO aesthetic and growing our customer base, both online and in stores,” she said. “I’d love to see us expand into larger department stores and online retailers, getting the brand in front of a wider audience.”

She also sees potential in working with larger brands that don’t do rework themselves. “There’s a huge opportunity to take their deadstock garments and turn them into something completely new,” she said. “It would be great to push what we can do creatively while bringing more of those existing materials back into circulation.”

Rokit on stage

Beyond Rokit Originals, Rokit Vintage has partnered with RENT, Jonathan Larson’s rock musical, which has returned to London’s West End for its 30th anniversary. The retailer is supplying vintage fashion to recreate the look of New York’s East Village in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The production stars Gaten Matarazzo and opened at the Tom Stoppard Theatre in October, with Gabriella Slade as costume designer. Dr. Martens is providing the footwear. Rokit has also launched a RENT-inspired vintage edit online.