Sustainability warriors kitted out - 22nd September 2021

Fashion runways around the world are coming alive. However, in alignment with Sustainable Fashion Week a movement of sustainability warriors, armed with their sewing kits, have been calling for more mending and less discarding.

Displaying their slogan "Stitch it, don't ditch it', the Street Stitchers have gathered before popular fashion boutiques, in 15 countries including 50 towns and cities in the UK, sat upon their chairs in a line and stitching old garments.

Street Stitchers founder, Suzi Warren tells us more.

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 objective of the Street Stitchers' week of activities is to motivate the public to participate by mending their torn apparel and upcycling old garments, rather than go for fast fashion, in a collective effort to reduce the quantity of textiles that end up in dumps. The Street Stitchers is a movement dedicated to raising awareness rather than a protest.

Madeleine Tanato, a street stitcher, is counting on the group's visibility to spark the public's interest in sewing and mending.

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."

Whether you're a debutant or looking for some new tricks, the Street Stitchers has got you covered. They've got a QR code to their website, which provides support for all sewing needs and capabilities, from turning a collar to mending a cuff.

Having seen the Street Stitchers, Glo Sherman has been spurred on to revisit her old sewing 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."