| Known For: | Fashion |
| Style: | Avant-garde |
| Nationality: | American |
Nicole McLaughlin is an American artist and designer best known for upcycled fashion pieces.[1]
McLaughlin was born and raised in Verona, New Jersey,[2] graduating in 2011 from Verona High School.[3] She has a bachelor's degree in photography and digital art from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.[4]
McLaughlin's work involves the reuse of materials for reconstructed clothing. She began creating reconstructed clothing as a hobby while working as a graphic designer for clothing company Reebok using discarded samples.[5] She maintains workshops for collaborations with brands and institutions such as Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, where she teaches design students.
In 2020, sustainable footwear company Allbirds announced a collaboration with McLaughlin under fashion house Market Studios. Mike Cherman of Market Studios introduced McLaughlin to Allbirds founder Tim Brown.[6] The collaboration produced slippers, a vest, tote bags, and a beach chair, which Ian Servantes of Inverse praised, though claiming the collaboration was an unsuccessful attempt to make Allbirds "cool."[7] The money raised through collaboration was donated to mutual aid collective The Okra Project and environmental group Sunrise Movement.[8]
In 2024, McLaughlin collaborated with Highsnobiety magazine to repurpose Samsonite backpacks into a jacket. The jacket features detachable sleeves and two backpack pouches on the front. McLaughlin described modularity as a design principle.[9]