Magazine

We do get asked why we started with denim.  Denim is iconic. We all understand what denim is, so to begin this journey with denim made perfect sense. But can we use denim to help create a new recycling system?

We get asked this a lot. There are lots of free sources of information out there. If I can get it for free, why would I pay? Why should I choose online courses?

Arts & crafts are amazing helpers for your mental health. But too many people are getting discouraged by internet bullies shouting “IT’S NOT DONE THIS WAY!” and innocent beginners just shy away. Let's change it!

Confused by clothing sizes? Unsure why sizes vary between stores, or even within the same store? Think clothes don't fit you right? You are not alone. The problem isn't you, it's the clothes. This is a list of the top 5 things I’ve learned about clothing sizes.

I WAS THAT WOMAN I remember being this woman strolling from shop to shop trying to find something nice, a new addition to my wardrobe that would make me feel special. The truth is, the only thing I would usually find in the shops was an unhealthy dosage of insecurities and reinforced anxiety. But the fashion brands didn’t agree. The woman of my heigh...

Starting a fashion brand isn’t easy, especially with the sheer volume of competition. Most of that competition comes in the form of ready made High Street (fast fashion) brands, mixing in-store presence with online shopping. So where do you start, and how do you stand out from the crowd?

We started our business to create change.  The various benefits for sewing and handcrafts are well documented but can these skills be used for a higher purpose? Can they be used for positive behavioural change in society?

Patchwork trends 2021 Only the lazy designer hasn't produced a patchwork garment this summer – it's on trend. Even the fast fashion copy-cats are pumping out fake patchwork designs. How did our patchwork story evolve? Once upon a time... Well, it actually started about 20-25 years ago in a small flat in the city centre of Moscow. As I've mentioned many times, all women...

Why is upcycled clothing on the rise? Is just a new trend? Reworking old clothes is not new at all, it has just been forgotten with the recent rise of fast fashion brands. From ancient Greeks to 19th century Royalty people had been using and reusing fabrics and garments as much as it was possible. 

Our step by step fashion design course for kids doesn't just teach basic sewing, it teaches thinking like a designer. No ready-made patterns, no dull cushion cover projects - straight on dressmaking! Kids don't want to sit through hours of theory lessons, they want to dive right into the process.

You donate your old clothes and they get recycled, right?Sorry to burst your bubble, but they don’t…and here is why.

The rental system is where we only borrow what we want and don’t own anything, but is clothes rental really the future? As for us, it's a hard pass.

2030 is fast approaching over the horizon and Scotland needs to be ready to meet its recycling targets. Will there be zero waste in Scotland?

Order a load of stuff in different sizes, try it all on, keep one and send the rest back for free. Pretty sweet deal, right? Everything you try on and send back will get cleaned and put back up on their shop, right? So what happens to free returns?    

Charity shops are the mainstay of clothes donations. It may have worked 30 years ago but that was before fast fashion. Does it still work?

Learn how to slow down and to make more time for yourself. The world keeps getting faster and we all need to find ways to relax.

Can you still have a 21st century wedding with single use items, like the dress? How do you plan a sustainable wedding?

Shops close, jobs are lost and we all shop online. What is the impact and can we still have the shopping experience?

Can we create less waste? We think so and believe we have a chance to create new jobs in the process. Scotland can lead the way!

Our kids are the future, yet we continue down the same path. We teach them what we know. How can we change path?

We don’t think about our impact when throwing away clothes. Why should we? Charities deal with them. Do they?  

So, linen uses less water, less chemicals, doesn’t pollute the local environment so you would think it would be more widely used – wrong!

Have been thinking about learning dressmaking for a while but still not sure if you can learn? Spoiler: you can!

Black Friday has overtaken the January Sales as the UK’s biggest deal bonanza. Is it time to try a different Black Friday?

Cotton uses huge amounts of freshwater yet we are all facing water shortages. Are the two linked?

Hemp is amazing, but political skullduggery put a stop to its use. What is the truth behind why hemp got banned?

Sweden is far ahead of the UK when it comes to recycling. What can we learn from them?

Hot topics within the fashion world at the moment are ‘sustainability’, ‘ethical’, ‘ organic’. Many of the top brands and fashion houses are scrambling around to stay ahead of the customer with a brand message that reflects the wind of change and is seen to provide ‘brand alignment’ to the more discerning shoppers.  

Making a product for kids was not an obvious choice for me, but ever since I started I realised – this is the best product I have ever made. And this is why. First in the UK online sewing course for kids with kids in mind.

How did we start? Where did our inspiration come from? Why are we doing this? Actually, what is it we are doing?!

It’s a phrase I remember my family saying without thinking too much about it. When you are young, you don’t really listen that much to what older folk say.“Waste not, want not” – if you use a commodity or resource carefully and without extravagance you will never be in need. How have we managed to get so far away from this? We have become...

Are you sustainable? What is sustainable and why do fashion brands want you to think they are? If you take a moment to search “what is sustainable September” you will come across a variety of meetings and discussion forums on how we become more sustainable, with a major conference pencilled in for Rome and a series of other events scattered across the month. Were...

I grew up in the most sustainable society: in the late and post-USSR. There was not much good about the country that thankfully doesn’t exist anymore. But looking back, it is the most sustainable society I have ever lived in. Making custom clothes back then was not exactly a privilege or what we call now a “slow fashion”. It was a necessity. I have...

So you decide to start a podcast but have no equipment or knowledge on the subject…We’ll tell you what we did!  

Right now many fashion brands are turning their attention to more organic fabrics & fibres, which is great news. Organic cotton, linen, hemp are fantastic materials that are good for humans and for the planet. I’d love to fill my studio with hundreds of metres of beautiful organic fabrics and start creating new garments.

You are worth more than fast food or fast fashion. Agreeing for less is agreeing to support greed model. We need to be better than we are, all of us.

How we deal with our waste will be the hot topic in the coming years as we approach 2030 and the UN Sustainability targets. The UK is behind many EU partners when it comes to recycling and reduction in landfill, which may (or may not) surprise you.

The Scottish and UK Governments, along with the EU, are targeting a move towards zero waste circular economies. What does this mean? Since the Industrial Revolution we have run what is called a Linear Economy.

I’ve been that guy standing in McDonald’s waiting for a Big Mac, chips and a coffee because it was there. I’ve been that guy with two young kids wandering around H&M trying to find trousers, tops and jumpers for them both and knowing I had less than £100 to spend.