A passion for green fashion (From Oxford Mail)
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A passion for green fashion
2:00pm Friday 8th February 2013 in News
By Emma Harrison, Reporter covering Rose Hill, Littlemore and Iffley. Contact me on 01865 425430
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ReFashion organisers Jenny Carr, Maria Warner, Emily Martin and Paul Mocroft
IT is a predicament followers of fashion can find themselves in: too many clothes.
But award-winning recycling event ReFashion is encouraging people to swap their gladrags or donate them to charity rather than binning them.
Catwalk shows, performances and workshops will take place throughout the afternoon on Tuesday, February 19, at Oxford Town Hall, in St Aldate’s.
Businesses, charities, students, and community groups were first brought together by the event last year, to highlight the problem of disposable fashion.
One of the organisers, Jenny Carr from the environmental sustainability team at Oxford City Council, said: “Last year’s event exceeded our expectations in every way.
“Crowds of people came all day long and we swapped over a thousand items of clothing. The demand for another event was such that we just had to do it again.
“We’ll have the same types of stalls – crafting, selling and sewing – but in addition this year we’re planning a makeover area and more practical demonstrations to inspire people to learn a new skill.”
There will also be more catwalk shows this year, including school projects and a men-only event.
Visitors can find out how to repair their old clothes or transform them. All fabric at the end of the day will be recycled.
More than £660,000 is spent by Oxfordshire County Council every year sending more than 8,000 tonnes of clothes, shoes and fabrics to landfill.
Councillor David Dodds, chairman of Oxfordshire Waste Partnership which covers all the councils in the county, said: “ReFashion is all about highlighting how we can do things with our old clothes to keep them out of landfill.
“There’s a growing appetite for people to learn the old ‘make do and mend ‘skills, not just to save money but to have fun too.”
Sobell House and Helen and Douglas House will be selling second-hand clothes and taking part in the fashion show.
West Oxford Community Centre Cafe will provide refreshments and homemade cakes. The free event runs from 1pm to 7pm.
ReFashion scooped a national Green Apple Environment Award last year, recognising its eco-friendly ethos.
