Textile design and fabric upcycling

My business is about fabric upcycling as a means to help reduce the colossal amount of cheap discarded textiles that end up in landfill because they can’t be recycled. Working with second-hand fabrics is my contribution to the circular economy, encouraging the growing consumer awareness that clothing needs to be sustainable. I hand-tailor unique slow fashion garments, decorated with my trademark colourful appliqués made from recycled fabrics. Slow fashion means that my jackets and tops do not add to overconsumption dictated by the fast fashion industry. Garments created locally in my studio in Perthshire are produced in an environmentally responsible way – high quality items that you can wear for many years. Their colourful designs express the wearer’s unique individual style, something that the fast fashion industry doesn’t provide.

The term slow fashion also describes the time consuming process of working with recycled textiles: I need to source suitable second-hand clothing, wash and deconstruct the pieces, find matching fabrics, iron and cut and layer and sew, choose layouts and colours for the appliqués, satin-stitch and embroider, find matching buttons…

Apart from creating garments I use second-hand fabrics for decorative pieces like small picture collages of landscapes and quirky street scenes. And for Japanese knot bags, a reusable environmentally friendly alternative to throw-away gift wrapping paper.
I invite you to view my creations online or in my studio, and together take small steps towards the reduction of textile waste.