Stitch it don't ditch it - 22nd September 2021

Models are hitting the catwalks globally, as fashion shows go live once more. Meanwhile, sustainable fashion supporters have taken to the streets with their pins and needles and a chair!

The Street Stitchers, whose motto is "Stitch it, don't ditch it", have set up outside fast fashion retailers with their sewing in 50 towns and cities across the UK and 15 countries around the world.

Suzi Warren is the founder of the street stitching movement.

Suzi Warren: "We're just kind of showing there is an alternative to just buying a lot of quick, cheap disposable clothes by repairing, mending and keeping things and kind of loving them back to life."

The aim of the week of events is to involve the community. It aims to get people to repair clothes, create new ones from pre-loved clothes, and all in order to keep textiles out of landfill. Not so much a campaign but to show people there are alternatives to fast fashion.

Madeleine Tanato is one of the street stitchers. She hopes that by seeing people stitching in a busy high street, they'll be encouraged to have a go themselves.

Madeleine Tanato: "I hope that by just seeing people stitching you know, with, you know this was my mother's you know, something that was my son's or something very simple and also being in a sort of big, busy high street can help people understand that it's not something that's beyond them."

For those who are not sure where to start or who need to pick up a few techniques, there is even a QR code that takes the user to a site with tips on sewing, like how to turn a collar or mend a cuff.

For passerby Glo Sherman, it's a great reminder of forgotten skills.

Glo Sherman: "Recently I've done more of it and it's because people have reminded me that it's better to repair these things and also because there are clothes I have I really like and I don't want to get rid of them."