Hello! Ahead of the May Sewcialists theme of #sewcialistsloveMMM, I’m back with a post on thinking sustainably about your wardrobe and making clothes you will actually wear. You might know me from the sustainable sewing challenge #makeyourstash. In case you don’t, I’m Kate from the Time to Sew blog (aka @timetosew on Instagram) and I am obsessed with sustainability, textiles and sewing. Outside my day job and my family I spend most of my time thinking about reducing my sewing footprint and adopting a mindful approach to sewing.
How many clothes do you need to sew?
How much do you sew? Have you ever thought that you still don’t have a lot to wear despite the amount you sew and the volume of fabric in your stash? Or maybe you sometimes think you should just chuck it in and go back to buying clothes instead. Patterns just don’t fit, fabrics are troublesome and you don’t have time!
In the UK, women tend to wear only 55% of what is in their wardrobe
(source: Weightwatchers survey via http://fashionunited.uk)
If I consider that I have a different wardrobe for summer or winter, then I’m probably not doing much better than the 55% listed above. Then within each season there are pieces I can’t bring myself to discard and others that I consider to be just in case. So I guess there might be room for a few more things that are a bit more functional and a bit more me, but I certainly won’t be suffering without them! My idea of wardrobe builders means making clothes to increase the percentage worn. Last year I went a bit nuts and made 27 things in the space of a few months – most of them get some sort of wear but if you asked me what they were I’d have no idea unless I looked at my blog post on the matter and reminded myself.
One of many dresses I made in 2017 (Sew Over It Alex)
What do you want in your wardrobe?
There are so many different approaches to building your wardrobe. At one end you might love a lot of variety and don’t stick to any particular style. At the other end you might be going for a minimalist wardrobe with a few key pieces that go with everything. Or you might just love a particular type of print and want everything in that print. I don’t believe that any approach is necessarily is right or wrong, as long as you are happy with what you have and you understand what you want. If you are interested in trying to keep your wardrobe sustainable through sewing, my key piece of advice would be to remember:
Sustainability is not replacing your RTW wardrobe with a handmade wardrobe.
And with that, here are my top tips for understanding what you want in a functional wardrobe and sewing the gaps:
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Assess your lifestyle and your wardrobe.
It is really worth being honest with yourself and thinking about what kind of clothes will get the most mileage in your wardrobe. I love the idea of having less clothing in my wardrobe but I find it challenging to be a true minimalist. The clothes I wear depend on the day and as a result my wardrobe has corresponding categories. One day I might be in town in the office; another day I’m stay at home mum covered in yoghurt and other unmentionables; or I might want to look smart for weekend lunch.
If you are working, what do you wear? Formal office wear? Smart casual? Activewear? Uniform? Are your clothes going to be covered in finger paint? How often do you work? My point is that there is unlikely to be much point sewing up a load of delicate floaty spring dresses if you need to be in formal office wear most days (me), or chasing around children at nursery all day, or a personal trainer.
Once you have decided the types of clothes work best for you then it is worth digging deep into your wardrobe and seeing what is lurking in the closet. You never know but there might be some forgotten pieces that you might actually like! Or you might find something you can potentially alter or upcycle into something you like better.
This Sew Over It Penny dress has been mended 3x after ripping it at the arm reaching for something. I have had a lot of nice comments on this dress – but actually the shape doesn’t work for my everyday lifestyle at all (hence the rips)! and I don’t love the vintage vibe on me
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Decide where you want to spend your time and effort
A lot of people have a goal to have a complete me-made wardrobe. I don’t have this goal. It would just be wasteful to discard perfectly good clothes already and to add to those for the sake of it being me-made would just end up in wardrobe clutter and my brain suffering even more choice stress in the morning.
So take the time to think about what it is you want to spend your time making to fill in the wardrobe gaps. You don’t need to make everything and/or all at once! Many of us have “maker’s guilt” – feeling guilty for buying things that we could make ourselves. I think this is often misdirected seeing as sewing is a hobby for most of us. This means spending time enjoying the making process and ending up with something awesome. Whilst I have made black blazers and skirts in the past, officewear really does not fill me with excitement and happiness. Neither does lingerie for that matter.
Some ideas to help alleviate the guilt would be to buy second hand or from a sustainable fashion brand. Or probably most importantly maximise the use and life of the things you have already.
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Prioritise shapes and styles that you know you like.
I don’t believe in most fashion and sewing “rules” – my theory is you should wear what you like and to be comfortable and confident! However in the effort to avoid having a silly amount of clothing in my wardrobe I will always tend to turn to shapes and styles I know I love and let me feel like the person I am (rather than who I think I am or want to be!) For me that generally means knee length dresses, semi fitted for work and loose for casual, and simple shapes with no frills or ruffles. That is not to say that I never deviate – I recently made a black velvet dress after caving into the velvet trend, and in January I made a green sweater dress on a whim that I saw in a sewing magazine (I have worn it most weekends though, if that counts). Part of the fun of sewing is the ability to try new things, adjust them to your liking, and maybe learn a new technique. Which brings me onto (4).
The Chica dress from La Maison Victor. Organic cotton sweat shirting by @chatchocolat
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Go window-shopping in stores and experiment with trying things on.
As a serial RTW shopper in a previous life, trying things on that I thought I might like to have or make has saved me a lot of time and effort sewing clothes that would otherwise have been disasters. I go in with the mentality that I might find something that I like and will decide later whether I will make it or buy it. This tends to mitigate one of the few downsides of sewing that you can’t try before you invest time and effort into making something. Also as someone who likes variety, I do occasionally want to try new things. (I know I feel silly and dwarfish in a maxi dress but every summer I try one just in case….)
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Shop your stash first before buying new fabric.
This was the genesis of #makeyourstash – it is so hard not to be distracted by things in magazines, social media etc. and wanting to make them immediately. Fabric shopping (especially online) is instant gratification, sewing is not! Fabric shopping can be a fast way to end up with too many handmade clothes you don’t love, and a load of fabric taking up space in your house. This is regardless of whether you buy fabric which is considered eco friendly (which probably won’t save the world by the way). So how do you avoid being distracted by shiny new patterns and fabrics on Instagram that don’t fit your plan? My answer is to wait for at least a couple of weeks before buying anything. If by then I’m still feeling enthusiastic I’ll look for something in my stash. Whilst there is a lot of fabric I have fallen out of love with, I still like to think my stash is my own personal store.
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Spring is a popular time to sew. My stash is primarily cottons, jerseys, linen etc. as opposed to wool and sweater knits. If I think about the learning process of sewing where the starting point is generally woven cottons, and then add in the popularity of floral floaty prints, I suspect I am not alone with the types of stuff in my stash! Because of that I will be focussing my energy on layering pieces which I hope to carry through to autumn.
Last year I made a bunch of Tilly and the Buttons Agnes tops (see above) so this year I’m thinking about clothes that might go with them – potentially a couple of jackets, a pair of weekend cotton/linen trousers and a skirt or two. Then to keep it a fun I’d like to make a jersey tee with a watermelon print – just because there’s enough to make something for my toddler and we can match outfits 🙂 All of this will be from the stash and I hope to continue not buying fabric for a few more months yet – but we’ll see how much I manage to sew!
What sewing do you plan to do to fill the wardrobe gaps this season? How have you come up with the things you will sew? Do you look at your wardrobe on a regular basis and plan everything you make or do you sew when inspiration strikes?
I appreciate all the mindful work you put into posts on sustainability and sewing Kate! I’m a returned to sewing sewist (after a 40 yr hiatus 🙂 ) and am astounded at the choices now available in fabrics and patterns, notions and tools, machines and furniture! It’s a whole new world and what temptations!! Yes I did fall into the rabbit hole for sure – I have way too many patterns (you would think I had been accumulating patterns for the past 40 not 3 years) and a bunch of fabric – probably enough to clothe myself AND my husband for the rest of our lives 🙂 But one thing I don’t do is sew things I don’t wear. I do value my time and energy too much to do that. What I have been sewing is “home clothes” since I work from home and I’ve been diving into my $$$ stash to do this. Liberty of London cotton, 4 ply silks, linens are all in my optics now for lovely, comfortable, floaty home clothes like the Ogden cami, Reef and Eucalyptus top by Megan Nielsen and soon kimonos. It’s fun! I couldn’t recommend it more highly 🙂 I realized I had been saving my $$$ fabrics for “special” occasions but my special occasions are actually at home.
Hi Kathleen, thank you again for your comments and support, I really appreciate it. I have sewn a lot of things that I don’t wear, but I guess that is because I didn’t know myself well enough! Oh man I love home clothes, glad to have met someone else who does as well. I have these two pairs of Made by Rae Luna pants made up in Liberty lawn and they are in rotation most of the year. Sadly they are too worn to make a pretty picture 😉 I haven’t made any of the Megan Nielsen patterns yet but its simmering away on my maybe list. Off to check your blog and see what you have made recently
What a lovely comment you have made! I can so relate to this, but it took reading it to make me realise. I am same age, and maybe because of the stage of life, I too really just should concentrate on ‘home clothes’. Clothes that are really comfortable, casual, but look good, and very practical!! I still make clothes which I am pleased with with, but with no use – hanging in my wardrobe. And that is not what a sustainable wardrobe is about.
I still work, and wear a uniform, so my wardrobe does not have to be ‘work wear’.
My special occasions are really at home also. Ahh…… a new direction in my sewing!!
(Plus I also have fabric and patterns to more than last the end of my lifetime – I am getting into the re-make and not purchasing new fabric so much these days).
Home clothes all the way! I have two pairs of Liberty cotton lawn trousers with an elastic waist (Made by Rae Luna pants) that have been in rotation most of the year for a few years now. They are still holding up unbelievably well! Alas no real reason to replace them
“Sustainability is not replacing your RTW wardrobe with a handmade wardrobe.” I genuinely disagree with this statement as written. While I agree that if you’re sewing to do a one-to-one replacement of RTW with handmade without regard to the continued wearability or suitability of the current garments, that does not meet the standard of sustainability, I think there are MANY ways that you can be working toward a fully self-made or handmade wardrobe that do fit within the parameters of sustainability.
For example, if you are building a handmade wardrobe as a long term endeavor, repairing things as needed (both RTW and handmade), and when the time comes for them to be replaced, replacing with handmade rather than RTW, that’s VERY sustainable. You might not have a fully handmade wardrobe next year, but if you’re viewing it as a more long term goal rather than a short or mid-term goal, there’s no reason it can’t be sustainable, depending on how intentional you are about purchasing supplies, fabrics, and using what you already have. That said, not everyone even WANTS a fully handmade wardrobe, and that’s totally fine. The way it’s written in this article though, sounds like everyone who is working toward having a fully handmade wardrobe, is working on getting it as immediately as possible and just getting rid of the RTW things solely because they aren’t handmade and ignoring sustainability factors. I agree, if that’s the premise, that doesn’t sound sustainable; but I don’t know that that’s what I’ve seen happening in the sewing community. Rather, I see people fairly quickly getting rid of a lot of RTW that just doesn’t fit their bodies, lifestyles, or personal styles as they sew more garments that fit their needs, but hanging on to RTW that still work for them.
Which brings me to my next concern about this article; it seems to be written under the premise that most or all people are finding or already have a great deal of garments that fit their bodies, lifestyles, and personal styles, and honestly, I think a lot of people who have too many clothes have them because they struggle with finding clothes that truly fit their needs. As a curvier woman, I know I was previously guilty of purchasing more and more clothes, when I already had many, many, MANY clothes, simply because of all the things I had, none of them seemed to fit WELL. For a long time I bought things that fit OVER my body but did not fit TO my body, because it seemed an impossible endeavor to find garments that fit my bust and my waist and my hips in proportionally appropriate ways. Never mind finding things that also allowed me to express a sense of style or fit the varied needs of my lifestyle. Now that I sew most of my clothes, I can make the adjustments or buy the patterns that will fit my body in ways that RTW never did. I’m also not continually trying on and buying new (or even used) clothes simply because I keep hoping the next garment will work for my body in the ways that other people seem to get clothes to work for their bodies. And that doesn’t even take into account the lack of work-appropriate clothes for a woman of my size/dimensions, or being able to truly have a wardrobe that reflects a dynamic lifestyle. So yes, when I really got into sewing, I got rid of, donated, repurposed, and otherwise purged a lot of my RTW. But it wasn’t arbitrary. It wasn’t simply because I would rather have me-made clothes. It was because those things already weren’t working for my body or my wardrobe and at the time I just didn’t have other good options. It’s also not as if I sewed a replacement for every single RTW garment that was already in my closet; rather, sewing allowed me to be more intentional about what garments I really needed and really want to wear on a regular basis. Because handmade things fit my body better, I don’t feel a need to have twenty options of things to go through every morning before finding something that’s just okay. I can now reach into my closet and know that whatever I pull out will fit and fit me well and reflect my personality and personal style in a way RTW never could. To be perfectly honest, in the long run, it seems to me that switching first to a mostly handmade, and maybe eventually to a fully handmade wardrobe will be much more sustainable when RTW simply doesn’t fit my body or my needs.
And at the end of the day, I’m still quite privileged, because I’m not also having to work around the ways in which RTW doesn’t always meet the needs of a lot people with disabilities or people who don’t fall into the gender binary. It occurs to me that a handmade wardrobe that better fits an individual’s body, physical needs, lifestyle, personal style, and gender expression will, in the long term, be much more sustainable than a RTW wardrobe that does none of those things, or only does some of them some of the time. That isn’t to say I think a partially, mostly, or entirely handmade wardrobe is right for everyone. Just that the idea that a fully handmade wardrobe isn’t or CAN’T be sustainable seems inherently flawed to me.
This comment resonates with me. I learned how to sew right after my daughter was born, so when I was first learning how to make clothes for myself, I was going through a tremendous lifestyle change as a new mother, & my body was changing a lot as my body settled post-pregnancy & while I was breastfeeding. Within a year, I had replaced almost all my RTW with a self-sewn wardrobe, not because I was chucking perfectly wearable garments just because they were RTW, but because my closet was full of RTW garments that no longer (or never did) fit properly, weren’t practical for life with a baby, etc.
I’ve been sewing for five years now & wear almost exclusively self-sewn. I’m wearing a RTW hoodie right now, it’s the last bit of RTW I own besides shoes & socks. But there’s still room to sew more because I still sew things that end up not fitting quite right, aren’t actually appropriate for my lifestyle or climate, etc etc.
I do suspect the author meant to say something along the lines of “having a self-sewn wardrobe just for the sake of having a self-sewn wardrobe isn’t by definition sustainable,” & I think that’s true. But it’s also quite practical & possible to build a reasonably sustainable self-sewn wardrobe if that is one’s goal. Bearing in mind, of course, that the very definition of “sustainable” is slippery & forever transforming.
Hello Ciara, I’m not sure if this will show up in your feed as I couldn’t tag you in the reply to Jen, but I thought it best to reply to you together so please refer above. As a mum to a toddler I totally hear you on having nothing suitable to wear to go with the lifestyle – and thank you for pointing out the bit I should have tweaked to mean that sewing for the sake of sewing is not something I support. Best wishes, Kate.
Jen, Ciara, thank you for your comments and opinions. Jen I am sorry that you have taken out of context what I had written, which, as Ciara said, is an opinion on sewing for the sake of sewing. I think there is a balance to be found between the enjoyment of the sewing hobby, and being a hugely prolific sewist making all the things just because you can. I would like to clarify a couple of things here. Firstly, like you, I do not have a load of RTW that fits. I have no curves to speak of, and my torso is practically cylindrical like a child. I have also spent a lot of time and money on ill fitting RTW that I don’t like, and in my own 5 year sewing journey I have made my fair share of stuff that doesn’t suit me or I don’t like (and no pattern fits me out of the pack either btw). But that doesn’t mean I don’t have anything at all and I don’t like wasting stuff that is ok or I think I could go back to.
Secondly, referring to Ciara’s comment, I also have a young toddler that I breastfed. After he was born and I found some time to sew, I also had nothing to wear that I liked or that fit the mega change in lifestyle. I went a little OTT and made 27 things in less than 6 months just because I could. At that time I also discovered Instagram, found all the inspiration, met a lot of people. Also I found a lot of people who aspired to a full me-made wardrobe and sewed all the latest patterns with the latest fabrics, and probably made more than they could possibly wear in a year. There has been such huge growth in the sewing market (in the UK anyway) in the past few years that I do feel that we are being encouraged down the DIY fast fashion road – so that is where my comment is coming from.
Great post! I am a very slow sewist so planning a whole wardrobe isn’t practical for me. I always want to make more than I actually have time to. I definitely am sewing to increase percentage worn and I do wear my handmade stuff over RTW (which I RARELY buy). I also tend to take a long time to let go of RTW garments just in case, and I like to upcycle them sometimes. Currently I’m letting my stash inspire me and trying to only buy fabrics (mostly linings) and notions I need to complete garments using stash fabrics. I’m becoming choosier about what fabrics and notions I buy (e.g. organic, natural fibers, ethically sourced when possible, no plastic), because I’m taking the time for the kind of fit and quality that will keep the garment in my wardrobe and getting worn for as long as possible. This is what feels sustainable and achievable to me, but again, soooooo slooow. Good thing I love it.
Same! I realized I have a slow and low output. I was accumulating projects and fabrics faster than I could use them and it was stressful! I’ve put limits on my purchasing and am focusing on using up what I have first.
Great post with great tips!
Hi Claire, thank you for your comment and kind feedback. I found it really hard to curb the accumulation – and had somehow trapped myself into this cycle of feeling like I needed to use it all up! Similar to you perhaps. Took awhile to remember to breathe, remember I’m not in competition with myself or anyone else, and just take a chill pill! Happy to hear you are working on using what you have before further buying 🙂
Hi Johanna, thank you for your kind words and for sharing your thoughts. I am the same in so many way – having many more plans than time to sew, the holding onto the RTW garments just in case. It is so silly that I feel like I can’t cut into a RTW garment because its already been made and finished, a mindset I definitely to change! I think its great to sew very slowly, as you say that way you know you will love the finished product as well as enjoy the process. Happy sewing 🙂
Hi Kate, that was a fascinating read and I thank you for your thoughts. I think online fabric shopping has some definite pitfalls and perhaps our wardrobes no longer reflect ourselves but what looks interesting and eye catching in a teeny jpeg on the fabric store website! I never wear large florals or small for that matter, but they do look cute on the screen. Plain fabrics are so useful and important in a wardrobe but without the touch and feel, so hard to get excited about. Reckon I’ll do MMM this year, just to prove to myself I have enough!
Hi Lesley, visual appeal is so important isn’t it! Solids just don’t look pretty and appealing like the latest prints and even made up in pictures I don’t find them as exciting – just not as bold somehow. But infinitely more practical in terms of matching with other stuff and in future I am thinking I should veer towards those. There is that element of enjoyment of sewing though and I like sewing with something that looks fun! All for watermelons and pineapples and flamingoes. Guess its just a matter of each of us finding a balance of what works for us. Good luck with MMM 🙂
I love the idea of sewing your own clothes!! My mom loved making her own clothes because she made what fit her body, as well as the time and money saved. I want to learn how to sew but it seems like it’s too late to start. And to think of making my own clothes is way hard. I wear basic things, and the things I like are not often sold in stores. hmmmm, maybe I should try a bribery sewing class.
Anyways, thank you for an encouraging read about sewing!
Hi Esther, it is never too late to learn to sew!!! Personally I like sewing stuff that I can’t find in stores – for me its a bit like going to a restaurant, I don’t want to eat what I already makes at home! I think a beginner class would be great if you are able to go as there is someone there to hold your hand (instead of trying to muddle your way through a book and youtube etc). and you can try before you buy. Things like simple skirts or cushion covers are great for building your confidence. Thank you for your kind comment and I hope you will give it a go one day 🙂
Hey Kate, thanks for writing back! Yes, I agree that a class would be more helpful and quicker to learn than videos. The closest thing I get to sewing is hemming pants for my family, and let me tell you, that’s hard work too!! I hope I can make something soon and start learning. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to do. Take care and happy sewing. 🙂
oops, not a bribery beginning class. That just sounds weird. I meant “beginner.” 🙂
It took me years to become a more all around sustainable person!
It took longer with my sewing! My Grandmother wasted left over fabric (putting it in the trash) and sewed clothing exactly like the pattern packet picture. She never had any fabric in her home!! Unless she was sewing it. And she only owned 4 – 6 patterns at a time!
Thanks to the internet I learned how to reconstruct the clothes that I “hated” in my closet. Now they fit me better in a style I really like. After that I couldn’t wait to re-construct every sewing pattern I bought! I now own just enough fabric to make anything I need. I donated piles of 20 year old fabric to places that wanted it desperately. Now my kids “shop” my fabric shelf (its actually a 4 tier shelf) when they want new clothes. I may still buy too many patterns. But I know that they will be easily be re-homed and given to others to use as well when I’m gone. It is so less stressful mentally to sew now! And my youngest teens at home who wear a lot of hand me downs enjoy helping me re-new their garments by altering and sewing them into things they love!
Thank You for sharing!
Hello! Thanks for the comment – I think sustainability is a journey not an immediate switch and we each need to decide for ourselves what that means. That is so cool that your kids are interested in shopping your fabric shelf and altering and refashioning stuff. If mine is even half as interested as yours when he gets older I will be a happy bunny, to be able to mend and refashion is such a great skill to have.
For some reason I have less issue with myself owning a huge amount of patterns (mostly pdf – I’ve never been a big 4 girl since I learnt to sew with indie patterns) rather than a huge amount of fabric. It seems mentally less stressful somehow … although having said that, I had done a printed pattern clear out last year and just last week I went to look for something which turned out to be gone. Epic fail!
Also on my Birthday I have the teens go to the fabric store and pick me out a yard or 2 of fabric, to give me as a gift! At first I was surprised at their color choices- LOL! They weren’t really my style. But 9 times out of 10 they request that fabric for their refashion! So I’m happy!
It was interesting to read your take on being more sustainable with your sewing. I whole-heartedly agree that we should be more mindful in what we consume and what we waste and you give some good tips. There will always be trade-offs and room for improvement. I find sewing my own clothes gives me more control over the fit and quality of the garment. Time invested on a garment often makes me more reluctant to part with it, even if it is falling apart.
Lately I’ve been using the ’30 wears’ concept to vet my purchases/projects – some things like t-shirts and bras are quick to chalk up 30 wears, but others will take longer ( eg my Goretex jacket, reserved for ski trips and multi-day hikes, may only be worn 2 or 3 times a year. But will last 20 years) . And yes, I do sew my own lingerie. Besides getting a better fit than RTW, it makes good use of off-cuts or re-purposing t-shirts as well as re-using the wires/sliders from worn out bras. Granted, it’s not for everyone, but it works for me 🙂
BTW – The link to the survey you cited doesn’t go directly to the article. It was interesting that the survey was done by Weight Watchers. 25% of respondents claimed they were waiting to lose weight to fit into their unworn garments; another 10% were waiting for it to become fashionable again. A fair call given the context of the survey. In my mind, that isn’t being unsustainable. Throwing it out and repurchasing it later on would be.
Hi there, thanks for your comment. Dressmaking as a hobby will invariably mean more clothes! I read about the 30 wears concept on the Fash Rev website, I think its a good one. Somehow it doesn’t sound like a lot but even if you wear it every week it’ll still take a weekly wear for >6 months to achieve that! So might need to keep the t shirt (for example) for 2 years at least. I really love coats and fortunately I live in a climate where they are everyday wear for around 6 months of the year and I get a lot more use out of that than a summer blouse or dress.
Thanks for pointing out the article link, I will fix it. In terms of the unworn clothing stats, I could name about 4 different figures I have seen / heard recently and some were closer to 70% – I decided to use this one as it was the most recent I found. Guess it will differ depending on who is doing the survey and geographic location. Ultimately though we each need to decide for ourselves what sustainability means to us and how we can make that work.
[…] A good read on the Sewcialists blog about sustainably sewing a handmade wardrobe. […]
A fabulous post. So much to think about. It can be a dilemma – sewing is a lovely past time, the people who sew are so interesting and a lovely lot. I am always amazed at the skill required to make 2D patterns and fabric fit a 3D shape with many variations. I enjoy the colours and texture of the fabrics, the intent I have when I sew. But, we do only need so many clothes. I haven’t been able to get around that yet in my sustainable consciousness. How else to use all these elements? I don’t want to feel guilty about what I do.
Hi Sara, as you say it is a balance. Even if we do all the eco friendly things, if we think about the scale of planetary problems we would probably still want to chuck it in the towel. I think it’s about what works for us personally and yes it’s a shame we can only wear one outfit at once! But if you love the process and you can decent amount of wear (however you define it) out of the things you make then that’s a win in my book. Thanks for reading and your comment 😊
If anybody is interested, it is possible to do a six week free course through Future Learn, on ‘Fashion and Sustainability’. The introduction includes the following statement :
….It is based on the research, teaching and practice of Professor Dilys Williams and other members of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion team, and the expertise, leadership and experience of Kering’s sustainability team.
The Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF) is a Research Centre based at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. Our work explores vital elements of Better Lives – this is London College of Fashion’s commitment to using fashion to drive change, build a sustainable future and improve the way we live……
I am on to week 2 of the course and am finding it very very interesting. Whilst I don’t work in this area, it is a topic I think of constantly.
Hi Sara, I am also doing this one. I think the key thing that it highlights so far is the need for change at all levels. For example we can make changes to our own sewing / shopping practices, but change will be more effective at a community level – and even then the home sewing market is small compared to the overall world of fashion. I will watch with interest how the big fashion companies like Inditex and Kering choose their sustainability priorities and how much is marketing vs effective action.
[…] Sustainably sewing your me-made wardrobe […]
[…] have an awful lot of time to waste. The Sewcialists talk about building a sustainable wardrobe here, they talk about deciding how many clothes you want to sew, prioritising and organising. It’s […]