In response to the problem of resource waste and environmental pollution caused by the large amount of waste textiles in China, taking waste military training uniforms as an example, a thorough investigation was conducted to draw a life cycle diagram of military training uniforms, establish a recycling system for waste military training uniforms, and use Taiyuan University of Technology as a pilot for recycling. The carbon footprint of different recycling methods was calculated. A systematic method for the reorganization and redesign of discarded clothing, starting from clothing styling, has been developed. Utilizing discarded military training uniforms and other discarded textiles, practical applications have been completed in seven aspects: silhouette, style, segmentation, clothing components, adding decorations, removing decorations, and Completely redesigned. Finally, based on the problems encountered during the pilot recycling and the insights gained from the restructuring and redesign, a derivative theoretical study was completed. Through the study of the carbon footprint of clothing lifecycle and recycling stages, the importance of reusing discarded clothing has been clarified in the form of data. The innovative “1A2B3C” principles for the recycling and redesign of discarded clothing have been proposed, providing a solid theoretical basis and practical experience for the secondary transformation of discarded clothing. The reuse of discarded military training uniforms has been promoted, and the lifecycle of military training uniforms has been extended from the source of the masses. © The Author(s) 2025.