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Love Your Clothes and Cancer Research UK are inviting the public to visit their ‘tonne of clothing’ event at the Open Market during Brighton Fashion Week from 15-17 October to find out how to make the most of unloved items in their wardrobe.
Three days of workshops and demonstrations on upcycling, repairing and revamping will show people how to create fresh new looks from old clothes while highlighting the environmental issues of clothing waste.
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UK consumers purchase around one million tonnes of clothing every year and discard roughly the same amount.
50% of these clothes are re-used, but around 350,000 tonnes of clothing goes to landfill – despite all textiles and clothing being requested for recycling and charity donation.
‘Keeping clothes in use for longer is the single biggest thing we can do to reduce the environmental impact of clothing. There is no reason for any item of clothing to end up in landfill – it can all be re-used, donated or recycled.
‘We’ve got three days of great events planned to show people how they can give their clothes a new lease of life by repairing or revamping them and the value of choosing to buy pre-owned clothes.’
Jamie Perry, Campaign Manager at Love Your Clothes
Love Your Clothes and Cancer Research UK are challenging designers and students to rummage through the tonne of clothing to create new items and demonstrate how to extend the lifetime of clothes and keep clothing out of landfill.
There will also be free workshops and demonstrations on Saturday 17 October, delivered by local specialists Sew Fabulous and Eco Makers Emporium.
Basic sewing machine and hand sewing sessions will give beginners the practical skills and confidence to tackle simple projects, and workshops will include how to upcycle old clothing into stylish accessories.
Places on workshops can be booked online here.
Love Your Clothes will also be hosting a free Swishing event with Rags Revival from 10.00-13.30 on Saturday 17 October. You’ll have the opportunity to bring along and swap pre-loved clothes for something new to give your wardrobe a new lease of life.
People are also being encouraged to bring pre-loved, good-quality clothes to donate to Cancer Research UK. Representatives from the charity will be on site to collect donations across the three days. They will then be sold in their shops to raise much-needed funds for life-saving research.
‘We’re all guilty of holding onto clothes that don’t fit or that we no longer wear. Donating them to Cancer Research UK will help free up wardrobe space and generate the positive feeling that comes from supporting life-saving research. We are looking for clothing, footwear and accessories in good condition – all brands welcome!’
Elaine Hutchins, Cancer Research UK Area Manager for South East
The tonne of clothes event forms part of Brighton Fashion Week, which this year focuses on sustainability and how to re-invent the way we design garments, re-think how we consume and re-define what is possible through valuing and renewing existing materials.
Click here to find out more about Brighton Fashion Week.
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