The Covid-19 crisis is reshaping shoppers’ consumption habits, as lockdown has encouraged people to question their buying habits and consider more ethical options.
Now, as more shoppers turn against the questionable practices of the global fast fashion industry, a community business leader in sustainable fashion is preparing to re-open to the public after growing its audience online during the pandemic.
Stitched Up, is a Manchester-based community business that runs upcycling workshops, clothes swaps and sustainable fabric sales, is opening a new pop-up space at Stretford Mall from 24 October until the end of March 2021.
The pop-up will enable Stitched Up to restart its face-to-face workshops and retail operations, having moved all activities online during lockdown.
Stitched Up adapted to the pandemic by producing new how-to video content and by increasing its engagement with people on social media channels like Instagram.
The business found that it was fielding new queries from people who were getting creative during lockdown and re-discovering hobbies and craft activities, including sewing. This helped it to reach new audiences both in Manchester and across the country.
Stitched Up also received £7,200 in emergency funding from independent trust Power to Change to compensate for lost revenue during lockdown.
Now, Stitched Up has become the latest community business to feature in a new podcast series by Power to Change. The podcast hears from Stitched Up co-founder Bryony Moore, who talks about how the business got started, its sustainable aims and wider role in the community, and its ambitions for the future.
The podcast series from Power to Change shines a light on those individual heroes across the country who are stepping up to make a difference in their communities and inspiring others to take action. In the latest episode, Bryony talks about how the Covid-19 pandemic has encouraged people to stop and think about their consumption habits, their relationship with fast fashion, and more sustainable alternatives.
Stitched Up is now on the hunt for new volunteers to help it run the pop-up site in a safe, socially distanced way.
Bryony says: “We’ve always been a business that thrives on social interaction, so lockdown was a particularly tough time for Stitched Up. The silver lining was that the crisis offered a real chance for people to think about how they consume products, including their relationship to fashion. A lot of people haven’t been able to shop in the same way as before, and that has made them stop and think.
“They still love clothes as a way to express themselves, but more people now want to consume in an ethical way. In particular, they’re looking to recycle and make do and mend more, which is why we saw such a positive response to our online tutorials during lockdown. With our new pop-up site, it’s exciting to be able to engage with the public in a physical space again, and build on the rising interest that we’re seeing in sustainable fashion.”
Stitched Up was founded in 2012 by a group of six women who wanted to provide an ethical alternative to the global fashion industry – providing a space for people to learn new skills and think about more sustainable ways to source and restore clothing.
To find out more and to listen to the Power to Change podcast series, please visit www.powertochange.org.uk/get-inspired/podcasts
