Sustainable Fashion Week slows down fast fashion

“Sustainable Fashion Week is something I’ve had in my mind for a long time,” says Amelia Twine, founder of fashion brand Give Wear Love and Sustainable Fashion Week, which has now been postponed until the autumn.

“This event is for every person that gets dressed in the morning,” she says. “We all wear clothes so sustainability is relevant to every single one of us.”

The first Sustainable Fashion Week in Bristol plans to take place across the city this autumn, with a week of creative activities, celebrating and promoting the importance of sustainability in fashion planned.

The initiative will demand change in the fast fashion industry. It aims to start a conversation on how everyone can all make a change and become more sustainable, while sharing skills to regenerate, re-craft and re-wear existing items of clothing.

From upskilling and repurposing workshops to clothes swaps, pop up fashion shows and vintage sales, Sustainable Fashion Week will cover all areas of sustainability in fashion.

The main event of the week will be a take over the M Shed, where a series of talks and panel discussions from sustainability supporters and fashion industry professionals will take place.

Alongside the main events, a market of independent and sustainable fashion brands and a selection of inspiring hands-on workshops will be taking place.

Amelia Twine, founder of Sustainable Fashion Week. Photo by Lauren Jayne Hall

The organisers of the event want to reach out to the whole of the city and avoid preaching to the converted.

“This will be our biggest challenge, and our biggest opportunity,” says Amelia.  “It’s really important to me that the content is relevant to everyone. I want to know who is missing from the conversation and who needs greater representation.

“Sustainability in fashion has a damaging sense of exclusivity. Although this is only the first event, I want everyone to know that whoever they are and whatever their background, this event is for them and they are very welcome”.

Most events are free or of low cost, to remove as many economic barriers as possible.

“We hope that through the full programme there is something for everyone, whether they want to be informed, learn new skills, know how and where to make more sustainable fashion purchases or whether they want to get their voice heard and tell us what their views are”, says Amelia.

Sustainable fashion garments from slow fashion platform Give Wear Love. Photo by Lauren Jayne Hall

There are more than 20 city-wide mini events taking place during the week, and groups already involved include The Bristol Stitchery, Something Elsie Vintage and Bristol Textile Quarter.

Lots of non-fashion focused organisations are taking part too, with Amelia saying: “We’re including many contributors from the area, such as Soil Association, Found Hea, Bristol Cloth, South West Fibreshed and Project Pico.”

By joining this informative yet creative event you can experience an array of sustainable opportunities that also promote local slow fashion brands and makers.

“My intention for this event is to gather together all the good work being done by people in Bristol,” says Amelia. “We want to make a noise about it.”

For more information and to buy tickets, go to @sustainablefashionweek_uk

Main photo courtesy of Amelia Twine

Read Emma Gorton-Ellicott’s blog No Debutante

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