Meet Vaida Jakštienė and Ana Savicka, production partner at First Priority, our upcycling facility in Kelmé, Lithuania. We asked them three interview questions.
1. How do your craftsmanship contribute to the upcycling process?
Our factory in Lithuania is the heart of the textile upcycling process in Europe, where skilled craftsmen sew and bring new life to existing materials. With decades of tailoring experience, they have an innate understanding of fabrics and construction.
Upcycling demands creativity, adaptability, and flexibility —working with non-standard materials means every project requires a unique approach.
Instead of seeing limitations, our craftsmen see possibilities, expertly reimagining how existing fabrics and garments can be transformed. They continuously adapt their techniques to ensure nothing goes to waste.
Their problem-solving mindset and hands-on expertise are key drivers of our upcycling success.
2. What are the biggest advantages of working with upcycling, and what challenges do you face?
Upcycling in Lithuania comes with major advantages. Our highly skilled team excels at working with the unpredictability of reused materials, ensuring quality craftsmanship.
The local infrastructure supports high-quality production—perfect for refining upcycled hotel textiles.
The biggest challenge is sourcing consistent, high-quality leftover materials. That’s why our collaboration with Reused Remade is so valuable—discarded hotel textiles meet these exact criteria, and the partnership is built on deep mutual understanding and shared experience.
Since we work with what already exists, quantities and fabric types vary, making production planning complex.
Designing also requires flexibility—each production may need its own solution, adding time and cost. We tackle these challenges through a strong relationship and a flexible production model.
Our team thrives on turning constraints into creativity, ensuring both quality and circularity.
3. What does the work ahead look like? Do you have any plans to test/develop something new, like closing the production cycle, creating still new value?
We’ve upcycled bags at scale for Reused Remade since 2017. Besides these bags we’ re exploring other ways to collect and reintegrate post-consumer textile products—giving them a second or even third life.
Clients are increasingly asking for reused and remade solutions, challenging us to transform existing textile products into something new. This shift pushes us to innovate quickly and creatively, and we at First Priority are fully committed to meeting that demand. Looking further into our collaboration with Reused Remade.
To stay agile, we’re expanding collaborations with independent manufacturers across Lithuania. This not only enhances flexibility but also strengthens local livelihoods, fair wages, and the regional sewing industry.
Our team’s drive for progress keeps us ahead—embracing new technologies, refining upcycling processes, and rethinking traditional product-making. We’re proud to help shape a more responsible, innovative, and human-centered future.
What’s your next step in circularity?