Featured in our video series are eight people who have all made deliberate decisions about how to be positively conscious with their fashion choices. Alfred, an illustrator who lives in London chooses to buy resale garments has slowly amassed an enviable collection of ‘old’ Celine, piece by piece. He buys pieces where he can find them – waiting for friends to get bored, or finding them online. It’s the permanence and the emotion behind each garment that he finds appealing. “I love shopping resale,” he says, “because you know you’re buying something your really love, and not something that is just on trend,” while Joyce, a musician and vivacious vintage shopper allows herself to wear what she wants, and dreams of the past life her clothes have had.
Vintage clothes can be given a new life in more than one way; Ian Hundley, a leading tailor to the fashion industry, likes to repair any rips or tears in an imperfect manner, “it gives it that personal touch,” he says. “It’s perfect because you’ve done it,” and fashion designer Matthew Needham provokes old fabrics and garments, turning anything from a boat sail to a shopping trolly into a garment. “It’s a form of reinterpreting something that already exists,” he says. “Old ladies have the best clothes,” agrees Molly, who is a prolific up cycler of garments, and runs a popular store. But up cycling is just one way of ensuring that the fashion industry becomes more circular, and it doesn’t have to be old lady clothes and shopping trollies; it can run the full gamut, from gran to glam.
Samata’s mission is to find up cycled outfits for red-carpet events, she’s the CEO of Red Carpet, Green Dress, an initiative that demonstrates that sustainable clothing can be fabulous and glamorous. And whether she’s having items dyed or tailored, she’s trying to ensure that clothes are given a new lease of life. She thinks we should all be empowered to ask brands what certifications they have to ensure garments are being made in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. “It’s our responsibility to do so,” she says, and she’s correct. The current rate we consume materials – not just fashion – is unsustainable. Sisters Ella and Amy set up Kids Against Plastic and haven’t used convenience plastics since 2016. “Fashion and plastic could seem disconnected,” they say. But we are encouraging people to use their power as consumers to spread their voice and opinion to make a difference.” Little by little, choice by choice, we can all make a positive change through the decisions we make when shopping.
