We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Madden and we’ve shared our conversation below.

What was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Every time I am asked this I learn even more about myself and why deciding to start this business has been a huge journey in self acceptance. Starting ReFashioned Art has been 100% purpose-driven. Though to be honest, it feels more like ReFashioned Art chose me, more than I chose it. It was brewing within me for many years, but I was kinda too scared to acknowledge it.

It was something I always dreamed of… yet didn’t have the courage to admit to myself. I finally decided to start ReFashioned Art in 2019 because I couldn’t outrun it any longer. I had been making my own art my entire adult life. Every time I moved, I made new art to decorate my own homes, which happened many times over the last 20 years for my husband’s work.

Often times I repurposed items I’d already had lying around. It never occurred to me that what I was doing was actually ‘a thing’ and ‘that thing’ was already a movement, called upcycling or repurposing. I didn’t even realize what I was doing is actually really good for the environment. Using items that already exist contributes to the circular economy, conserves resources and reduces waste.

After relocating to Arizona, my new home here required a lot of art to fill the gallery-like walls. It came together very quickly- yet felt like no time at all, and certainly not like work at all. I worked tirelessly on filling those walls with my own art, yet the whole process felt more like playtime. Over the next few months, one too many people asked ‘why aren’t you doing this [art business]!? Why aren’t you selling this stuff?”

It quickly became apparent that art needed to be more than just a hobby in my life. I have no formal art training- I am completely self-taught, though I finally learned to accept myself for the artist that I am, and that I always have been.

As much as I love fashion and will always have my hands in that line of work in some form, today I am focused on building my art brand. ReFashioned Art is another way for me to demonstrate the merging of sustainability and style, which is a very important message of this brand. I want to encourage people to create a stylish lifestyle for themself. I hope by sharing my art I can get more beauty and style into as many people’s lives and homes as I can.

What should our readers know about your work?
ReFashioned Art fills a unique niche in the art, style + home apparel industry. I make abstract modern art that brings a fashionable edge to your home or business. I am using the brand ReFashioned Art to elevate the concept of repurposing and reclaimed items. This brand tells a story about possibility, and conveys the narrative that style and sustainability can coexist.

By repurposing old items into something more fashionable, chic and contemporary, I hope to inspire you to look for beauty where it is not normally found. It is my mission, using my art, to demonstrate that it’s not only possible, but you can do it too. And your life and home can be even more stylish and luxurious because of it. Afterall, repurposed items are one of a kind, and that exclusivity brings it to a whole other level.

My latest series ReFashion ReSculpt is made using reclaimed fabric discards. The textile industry is a huge source of unnecessary waste on the planet. In fact, 92 million tons of textile waste enter landfills every year. I love fashion, but I also care deeply about the environment, lowering my carbon footprint and becoming a part of the solution not the problem. For this reason, my original artwork is made using repurposed materials. I collect unwanted art and supplies and refashion them into something new, stylish and cool. (interestingly, the people who buy my art are very much ‘in fashion’ as well).

A large part of my life is also devoted to giving back wherever I can. I serve on four boards: San Francisco Fashion Community Week, Remake, Fashion Group International, and Arizona Costume Institute. I also contribute regularly to raising awareness of animal rescue through my dog’s Instagram @two_pretty_birds. (please go give them a follow!)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This year has marked a huge turning point for me personally and professionally. I have become a part of many new networks, some of which as local that I would love to plug because they have helped my evolve and elevate who I am at my core and especially my mindset: The KNOW Women, The Foundress, and iStart First by business mogul Olenka Cullinan. Also, recent collaborations with local businesses that are moving the needle, such as Iconic Life Magazine, TBC Luxury Consignment, and Ruby Farias Designs, have really helped me see beyond the art on a much larger scale.

Pricing:

ReFashioned Art offers a broad collection of items to add a fashionable edge to your home or business, such as original artwork (ranging $300- $6000+) as well as prints and a lifestyle line (ranging $5- $4000+)

Contact information:

Image Credits: Lauren Peachie

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.