The material costs almost nothing — that is the point people miss about upcycling. What it costs is time, skill and a reliable supply of the right kind of discard.
The studio's constraint was never demand. It was knowing, on a Monday, whether enough usable denim would arrive that week. The garment tracker changes that: discarded items with a known fabric and condition become a forecastable supply line.
Three salvaged pairs make one tote that sells for KES 1,800. Two people are paid from that. Neither of them describes what they do as waste management.