Sewing to save the planet

Many young people are leaving fast fashion behind in favour of sewing! This lockdown pastime aligns well with concerns about fashion's impact on climate change.

PhD student Lea Baecker makes ethical, well-fitting clothes.

Lea Baecker: "My main motivation was not having to buy ready-to-wear clothes anymore because I didn't want to support fast fashion. And also just to fit it better to my body. Yeah, and from then on, I never looked back."

On Instagram, Lea shares the outfits she's sewn with her followers.

Instagram has had a positive effect on New Craft Fabric House. This material retailer is owned by Rosie Scott.

Rosie Scott: "Yeah, I think Instagram definitely helped make sewing look more cool. Like you saw a huge range of people on Instagram sewing. And, yeah, it was just like, more visible."

All the material sold by the business is waste cloth which designers would typically dump. Rosie believes this act of recycling has encouraged some people to pick up sewing.

Rosie Scott: "The clients, well customers, have changed - they've become younger, definitely. More younger people are getting interested in sewing. And especially with the fabric, we find that, like, we get a lot of fashion students and young people who are really interested in learning how to make their own clothes and make them sustainably."

Paper Theory provides sewing patterns to help new sewists develop their skills. It was founded by designer Tara Viggo.

Tara Viggo: "It used to have quite a old-fashioned kind of point of view, but more people are realising how accessible it can be, actually. And it's, it's kind of fun, you know, and they're really getting into it."

New sewists are having a positive effect on the environment and changing people's thoughts on fast fashion through their recycling. The experience of sewing your own clothing makes people think about the real cost of clothes.

Tara Viggo: "Letting people know how much involvement goes into making a garment is a really good way to make you aware. Once you know how to sew your own clothes, you can't fathom that a shirt should be £3 anymore."

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