Remaking and modifying, ESI-style.

New ways with old clothes

An innovative project run by an ESI academic is giving women in St Austell the skills they need to get ahead of the fashion game and perhaps save some money too.

Re-shaping Fashion Norms is looking at sustainability in clothing choices and is holding two workshops in St Austell to teach people how to make their own skirts.

The project is being run by , Associate Professor of Environmental Politics, along with textile artist Sue Bamford. Professor Saunders said: “The fashion industry encourages individuals to purchase clothes that remain trendy only for a short while, which are then often discarded. As an alternative to unsustainable ‘fast-fashion’, we would like to encourage members of the public to make and modify clothing to understand whether this raises individuals’ ability to improve the sustainability of their clothing choices.”

The Creative Exchange project brings together academics and artists to explore themes related to environmental sustainability. The workshops will take place at Kneedles and Pinns, on the first floor of the Market House in St Austell, on Saturdays 17 and 24 January, from 10am to 4pm. They’re free to attend; all tuition and materials (fabric, thread, sewing machines)  will be provided. Please email c.saunders@exeter.ac.uk to book a place.

Date: 16 January 2015