Sustainable fashion project secures £850k funding

A four-year project aimed at inspiring climate action through sustainable fashion has secured funding of almost £850k.

It will fund high street hubs across the country offering repair workshops, clothing swaps and skill-sharing opportunities as well as research into behaviours around sustainable fashion.

Bath Spa University and Bristol-based community interest company A Single Thread have launched the initiative Restitch the Future after getting funding from the National Lottery's Community Action Fund.

Amelia Twine, founder of A Single Thread CIC, said, "too often sustainable fashion is perceived as expensive, exclusive or unrealistic" but the initiative is about "changing that narrative".

Bath Spa University says fashion is responsible for up to 10% of global carbon emissions,often due to sustainable alternatives being thought of as inaccessible, unaffordable or out of reach for many communities.

Twine, from Bristol, said: "Fashion is one of the most urgent but often overlooked climate challenges we face.

"By creating practical opportunities for people to repair, reuse and rethink clothing, we're making sustainable fashion more accessible and empowering people to take meaningful climate action," she added.

The four-year Restitch the Future project aims to build practical skills in community hubs on the high street.

There have already been temporary hubs set up across the country including in Bristol, Bath, Wellington, Stroud and Cheltenham.

But Twine hopes to roll out a number of permanent hubs over the next four years.

The initiative focuses on the consumer and tries to encourage them to "shop differently and to reduce how much fast fashion they buy", which Twine believes is the "quickest way to shift the whole system".

However, as an organisation, A Single Thread is also looking to "lobby the government to bring in different regulations to restrict brands and how they operate," added Twine.

Bath Spa University will be leading the research programme exploring the barriers that prevent people from engaging with sustainable fashion, including affordability and representation.

Last year, it launched its own sustainable fashion initiative, Future Fashion Works, with the aim of connecting students with local creatives and independent designers.

Tamara Parsons-Baker, head of Future Fashion Works, said they wanted to "better understand what enables lasting behaviour change around fashion consumption."

She added that the project will generate "vital evidence while creating meaningful social and environmental impact across the UK".

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