Blogging for Ethical Businesses
In just the past few years, we've witnessed the rise of blogging from a fun pastime to its present heights as a powerful business marketing tool. Blogs are now a common tool for brands to increase awareness about their mission and their products, with the potential of driving thousands - even millions - of visitors to a website each month.With this potential in mind, it's vital to be aware of the tricks bloggers use to keep their content fresh, relevant and engaging. Anyone can write a blog p...
Dive InStarting a Sustainable Activewear Label
For designers and entrepreneurs approaching the activewear market, there are a huge range of opportunities to choose from. From performance running gear, extreme sportswear, yogawear, to sports bras, each market comes with its own set of challenges and considerations. But sustainability remains one of the biggest.However, there are opportunities for new and existing brands to change the way the industry operates. Synthetic fabrics made from petrochemicals are being traded for recycled ocean w...
Dive InMastering Dyes And Finishes
Dyeing and finishing textiles is an area that comes under a lot of scrutiny, and it's not surprising; the processes require an enormous amount of resources, and used irresponsibly can have dangerous effects on workers and wearers, and cause devastating environmental atrocities. But it's not all doom and gloom! And this Masterclass will soon prove it.We've structured this Masterclass to first outline the issues that different dyeing methods cause, then look at how to counteract these problems ...
Dive InMastering Your Online Presence
Having an incredible, inviting online presence that your audience can find, respond to and ultimately, purchase from, is an absolute must. Whether you’re selling a product or a service, or just raising awareness about your brand, your website is the window to you and a reflection of your brand. In this Masterclass, discover how to present your brand in the best light and start getting your name out there. We’re talking SEO, lead funnels, product photography, how to sell deadstock, excellent c...
Dive InHow to Build an Authentic And Powerful Social Media Presence
It's easy to forget just how powerful social media can be. Businesses aren't handed that many opportunities to reach millions of customers worldwide (relatively) free. There's no doubt that social media has become one of the most critical aspects of digital marketing - and it shows no sign of slowing down, especially in times of crisis.No matter what you sell and who you sell it to, using social media as a marketing tool can help to grow your brand, get in front of target influencers and buye...
Dive InMaterials Testing
Ensuring a high-quality, high-performing and safe product should be top of your agenda as a designer or brand, but as one committed to sustainable and ethical practices, these criteria take on new layers of meaning. Creating a long-lasting, durable product will ensure your output is meaningful, likely to be treasured for years to come, and not going to be discarded due to a lack of due diligence in materials testing.This Masterclass is led by Sarah Blackham, a fashion professional w...
Dive InModern Slavery, Forced Labour and Criminal Exploitation in the Fashion Industry
Cited as the fastest-growing international crime, it is estimated that 50 million people worldwide are in modern slavery. As hard as it may be, you need to come to terms with the fact that you benefit from the exploitation of others. Products you buy, from the items in your kitchen cupboards and the clothes in your wardrobes to your technological devices, are all likely to be inextricably linked to labour exploitation and abuse. It's not as simple as donating money to charity and letting...
Dive InPR And Communications For Responsible Brands
Establishing an effective PR strategy for your brand, especially when it comes to sustainability, can be a complicated process. Ensuring your brand is reaching the correct audience, and producing the outcomes you are looking for, can be particularly challenging. To help you navigate the tricky world of PR, and the various methods through which you can tackle this process, we've enlisted the help of some industry professionals.We've structured this Masterclass first to outline the difference b...
Dive InFinances and Pricing Ethical Products
An incorrectly priced product range could make or break a business. A question the ethical clothing industry is consistently faced with is, how much are people willing to spend on sustainable fashion? Coupled with the challenges of starting a business without economies of scale, the task of setting prices can quickly become overwhelming. This Masterclass will help you make sense of the numbers and economic terminologies so that you can find the right pricing strategy for your product: crucial...
Dive InProducing A Responsible Underwear and Lingerie Line
Designing and producing a sustainable, comfortable, and beautiful intimate apparel line is within reach thanks to the help of this in-depth Masterclass. Led by Nicola Hopkins, founder of expert product development studio Bold Intimates which focuses on sustainable lingerie and swimwear, the technical lessons guide you step-by-step through the key considerations for sustainable sourcing, pattern cutting, stitching and sizing for underwear. Nicola's approach places the focus on the body and com...
Dive InProtecting The Intellectual Property of Your Creative Business
Protecting intellectual property is a crucial component of any brand, particularly in the fashion industry, where aesthetics, individuality and design are the name of the game. Protecting that elusive intellectual property can be a bit of a minefield, especially for those not legally trained. In this Masterclass, we have called on the help of lawyers who specialise in IP to bring you up to speed on everything you need to know to ensure that your brand, designs and products are adequately prot...
Dive InRecycled Fabrics: The Social, Economic and Environmental Impacts
Currently, less than half of used clothes are collected for reuse or recycling when they reach their end-of-life, leading worn (and sometimes unworn) garments to be discarded in landfill sites. This staggering statistic implicates both consumers and brands in the environmental and social consequences of fashion waste - so how can you, as a business, produce more responsibly and consciously and use your platform to engage audiences with the conversation around circular design?This Masterclass ...
Dive InReshoring: Local Manufacturing and Raw Materials
There have long been many misconceptions around manufacturing locally - that it is extortionately more expensive than offshoring, and that factories are both few and far between, and challenging to find. However, more and more frequently, brands are starting to notice the benefits of manufacturing locally and are bringing their production back to where they are based.In this Masterclass we look at the difficulties some brands may face with local manufacturing, bust some myths about the downsi...
Dive InResponsible Knitwear Production
The knitwear industry is very complex and varied, especially when you take into account the difficulties that can be faced creating sustainable and ethical knitwear products. In this Masterclass, we shine a light on some of the challenges faced when producing responsible knitwear, and the various ways in which you can overcome this.We've structured this Masterclass first to outline the basic principles of knitwear, including what can be defined as knitwear, and how it is made. We then look at...
Dive InSourcing Sustainable Trims And Haberdashery
Sourcing sustainable trims and haberdashery comes with its own complexities. This Masterclass will highlight some vital considerations for the design stage of your products, and shine a light on how to source trims that are kinder to the planet, and better for the people who make them too.We've structured this Masterclass first to discuss the most commonly used trims, then the key things to consider before you begin your design process. We then follow with a matrix of ethical trim and haberda...
Dive InSurface Pattern Design: Creating Prints for Fabric
Designing prints and transferring prints onto fabric is an important part of any design process. It can seem like a daunting task to anyone slightly less experienced in textile design. But it need not be! In this Masterclass, expert print designer, Christine Teeling, draws on her decade of experience working in the fashion industry to share her knowledge of the subject. In a series of short videos, she will talk you through the different types of printing available for fabric, and what t...
Dive InManufacturing Responsible Accessories And Leathergoods
Whether you want your fashion accessory line to consist of big and bold, collectable statement pieces, or practical, easy-to-coordinate essentials, there are ethical manufacturing options open to all. There are more materials out there than ever before for designers and brands seeking alternatives to animal leathers, virgin plastic components, or polyester and nylon fabrics, which meet even the high demands of performance for accessories that are crucial to securing brand loyalty and creating...
Dive InSurvival Strategies For Fashion Retail
There are very few of us that won't be glad to see the back of 2020. An unprecedented period for fashion brands the world over, the past ten months have seen multiple nation-wide lockdowns, a changing menu of government-backed business loans, and a staggering acceleration in the application of eCommerce and digital marketing, all with direct consequences for the industry. With the finalisation of Brexit too now looming just over the horizon, the question facing all businesses in this current ...
Dive InHow To Build A Sustainable Business Model
This Masterclass is all about Sustainable Business Models: the foundation of any successful, ethical company - and in fact, should be the basis of any business for it to bring solutions, profit and pleasure to the world. A sustainable business is about creating a profitable venture with longevity, that doesn’t require exploitation of people or resources.In this Masterclass you will learn:What traditional business models look like, and how sustainable ones differHow to access what your values ...
Dive InTechnology and Systems To Maximise Sustainability and Profitability
Sustained profitability depends on efficiency. Efficient and streamlined businesses save time and stress, will increase revenue while reducing expenses, and are infinitely easier to scale. You can't become productive during a crisis (though of course we tried during the coronavirus pandemic), so it's imperative that you start to implement systems into your business from the get-go.But it's not just about your bottom line; using technology can also help you to make your production more environ...
Dive InThe Design Process: From Design To Product
Our focus for this Masterclass is on The Design Process; from the first sketch to getting your designs ready for your production house, we're covering everything you need to know. We're honoured to have the expertise of award-winning fashion consultant, James Hillman, for this Masterclass. Charlie also takes us through ways you can think about sustainability and ethics within your designs. We also have invaluable information on developing technical packs for your factories, and how to design ...
Dive InThe Environmental Impacts of Washing and Laundry
Plastics discovered in water systems - and even in our bodies - has emerged as a critical environmental concern of our age. As much as 63% of all clothing is made from plastics, which means the implications of the textile and fashion industry's role in this disaster is vast. And even aside from the issues of microfibres, there are other contributions to massive environmental impacts caused largely by an outmoded perception of cleanliness: toxic chemicals emitted from dyes and laundry detergen...
Dive InTrends and Trend Forecasting for Sustainable Fashion Brands
Any business striving for success should be keeping an eye on key trends in their industry. And in no other industry is this more important than fashion, where trends make the world go round, so to speak, driving new collections and new business. In the current fashion climate, trends have become synonymous with the damaging habits of fast fashion retailers who manufacture high volumes of clothing in styles that are quickly discarded. However, by no means should sustainable fashion brands ign...
Dive InUnderstanding Responsible Wool Production
Wool is one of the oldest fibres out there, used in clothing production for millennia and loved for its softness and warmth, properties that have come to be synonymous with luxury and comfort. It's also incredibly durable, lightweight and can be easily made waterproof, which has seen it hold its own in the performance wear market even up against synthetics and innovative materials in recent years.However, the ethical and animal welfare issues associated with sheep farming have downgraded it a...
Dive InRegenerative Fashion Practices to End Hunger
In the second of our Masterclasses addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we concentrate on SDG Goal 2: Zero Hunger and how to apply its principles to your fashion business or brand. Prior to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic being felt across the world, food insecurity was already on the rise. In 2018, 25.9% of the world’s population was affected by moderate or severe food insecurity. Small-scale producers, who comprise 40-85% of all food producers in developing regi...
Dive InUpcycling and The Circular Economy
Clothes production today is at crisis point – with between 80 to 100 billion garments manufactured each year and 15 million tons of used textile waste generated each year by the United States alone – the figures aren’t stacking up in favour of the planet. Designers, responding to calls to radically overhaul the fashion system, are embracing the principles of the circular economy, but if they are to generate impactful change, we’ll all have to get on board.In this Masterclass, we unpack the ci...
Dive InWhat To Do Before You Launch Your Business
What do you actually need to do before you launch your business? You just need to design the product, take some photos, and put it in a shop, right? Unfortunately you would be wrong if you think that. There are a few more necessities to running a fashion business than simply designing nice ethical and sustainable products. In this Masterclass, we bring you a comprehensive rundown of everything you need to know and do pre-launch. Even if you have already launched, this is a wonderful refresher...
Dive InWhere and How To Sell: Getting Started and Going It Alone
There's one simple thing that all businesses require to be viable, and that's sales! Without them, we don't have a business. This Masterclass focuses on how to thrive "going it alone". As you'll soon find out from the founder of Field of Ponies, entrepreneurs today can truly challenge the status quo and single-handedly take on retail giants.We discuss the avenues you can take to get your product to market, and hear tips from those who have been there and done it. You'll also discover how to o...
Dive InWhere and How To Sell: Wholesale, Agents & Online Marketplaces
It's not unusual for a business to have a multi-pronged attack when deciding how and where to sell.The advent of digital marketing and social media has changed the way you can do things, so while you don't necessarily have to travel a conventional path in your business, we thought it was important to cover the more traditional methods of selling for the fundamental understanding.We've enlisted expert help and advice to give guidance on trade shows, fashion shows, selling into boutiques and on...
Dive InWorking Responsibly With Denim
For this Masterclass, we dive into the key sustainability questions surrounding denim, look at the amazing steps being taken by innovators across the industry today to reduce denim's environmental impact, and offer practical tips and advice for making responsible choices when working with denim. Including topics ranging from navigating trends as a sustainable brand, lease models for jeans, recycled denim, and adaptive design, you'll find all you need to understand this ubiquitous fabric....
Dive InWorking With Sustainable Cellulosic Fibres
Man-made cellulosic fibres such as viscose, lyocell and modal are produced from natural materials and are a mainstay of the fashion industry today, providing what looks to be a viable sustainable alternative to harmful synthetic fabrics. This is on the condition, of course, that the wood pulp used to make the fibres is not from forests under risk of deforestation, and harmful chemicals are not being used in processing and finishing. Likewise with cotton, another cellulosic fibre perceived to ...
Dive InHow To Manufacture Products Responsibly
There’s a huge learning curve when it comes to the world of production - and even more so when you also want to produce ethically. Figuring out the lingo, becoming familiar with the processes and systems, and understanding the way things work, are all absolute musts if you want to avoid mistakes, headaches, and mishaps. We've dedicated this Masterclass to help you navigate through this mammoth of a task, with clear, step-by-step instructions on how you can work your way to a responsible, tran...
Dive InLaunching An Eco Swimwear Label
Want to break into the sustainable swimwear market? Innovation in swimwear production makes it an exciting space for sustainable design. However the swim market is also notoriously competitive and difficult to launch into. In this Masterclass, presented by a sustainable fashion and swimwear consultant, you'll gain a clear introduction to this booming market with an in-depth guide to starting an eco-swimwear label, covering marketing, sustainable design practices and manufacturing.Vicki Wallis...
Dive InBranding A Sustainable Business
A clear and well thought out brand strategy will help you attract and keep your ideal customers. Branding isn't just designing a logo and sticking to a colour scheme, it's in everything you do; from your name, logo, website, blog, social media platforms, tone of voice, photography, email signature, the way you answer the phone - even the events you participate in and people whom you collaborate with. With help from our incredible guest experts, navigate the world of branding and build yo...
Dive InExamining The Ethics And Sustainability Of Silk
For this Masterclass we are diving into varying perspectives that should help uncover and examine what ethical and sustainable silk means for you. We hear from traditional sericulturalists, handcraft textile producers, and organic and regenerative farms, and provide you with case studies of those who have done the research to solidify their actions.Silk as a fibre and fabric accounts for only 0.1% of global fibre production, with 109,111 tonnes of the stuff being produced in 2020, in comparis...
Dive InBuilding a Healthy and Happy Work Culture
The two most vital assets to your business are you and your team - according to Liz Earle as you'll find out - so in this Masterclass we look at strategies to help guide mindfulness and accountability in your work environment, advice on goal setting and leadership without increasing anxiety, and as always with our approach, real life case studies from those who have navigated the complexities of starting from scratch.In this Masterclass you will learn:How to maintain energy and positivity lev...
Dive InCopywriting for Ethical Design Brands
How do you communicate with your customers? In an increasingly digital world, the written word holds magical powers – although many brands are not unlocking the full potential of their copy and falling into common pitfalls, such as preaching and greenwashing.This Masterclass is led by strategic copywriter, Sabine Harnau, who specialises in turning marketing strategy into a force for good. Her expertise in crafting beautiful engaging copy that converts, will help your ethical brand tell its ow...
Dive InCreating A Responsible Childrenswear Brand
Responding to heightened concerns raised in recent years about the wasteful nightmare that has been the childrenswear industry, brands have started to adapt to more sustainable and ethical models. Looking towards the resale market, rental and subscription platforms, extendable and customisable features, brands and businesses are exploring key trends from the sustainable fashion space and are successfully integrating them into kidswear.Behind the helm of many of these brands, we often find a r...
Dive InDemystifying Certifications and Standards
Transparency in your supply chain and communicating your ethics is more important in business than ever before. Certifications and standards are an excellent way of expressing a brand’s values to customers, but understanding and navigating them can be overwhelming. From “Which is the best one?” to “Are they necessary?”, there is a cataclysm of questions to answer before deciding the accredited materials you want to work with, what to ask of your suppliers and even whether you should consider ...
Dive InDemystifying Cotton Fibres
Cotton is one of the oldest fabrics to be used by mankind and today it remains at the very heart of our textiles and fashion industries, accounting for approximately 26% of all fibre used in the textiles sector. It has a global and highly complex supply chain, with 350 billion people relying on cotton as a source of income [Forum for the Future]. With such high stakes in terms of environmental and social impact, it’s crucial that we do all we can to make cotton as earth and people friendly as...
Dive InDeveloping A Sustainable Footwear Brand
The footwear market is huge, and it does not just include fashion shoes. Think about all of the industries where different shoes are required (we cannot just have one pair each), and then consider all of the materials, components and tools necessary to construct a shoe. In 2019 alone, 24.9 billion pairs of shoes were manufactured globally. It is a complex part of the manufacturing sector, with approximately 150 processes per shoe, and around 30 different components, with each material, and of...
Dive InEco-Friendly Inks and Printing
The apparel industry alone accounts for 6.7% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, with more than 50% attributed to these three phases: 15% to fibre production, 28% to yarn preparation, and the highest, a staggering 36% associated to dyeing, printing and finishing. Like any industrial process, textile printing requires raw materials, consumes energy and produces waste.In this Masterclass, we compare the negative impacts of different printing processes and inks and explore strategies to com...
Dive InEco-Packaging For Your Sustainable Brand
One of the biggest campaigns of 2018 - the eradication of single-use plastics, has exposed the difficulty of sourcing alternative packaging solutions. So, we bring you this Masterclass to help you find more sustainable solutions for packaging your products.We have structured this Masterclass to start with how to go about choosing the right type of sustainable packaging for your brand, with some technical insights into reusable, recyclable and innovative solutions, before moving on to an incre...
Dive InEducation as a Tool for Change for Responsible Businesses
Education is central to what we do at The Sustainable Fashion Collective. We've witnessed first-hand the amazing changes that can be brought about thanks to the structures and systems that allow us to share and communicate the knowledge and skills needed to improve the fashion industry.The UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and there are many approaches for fashion businesses to engage with this important goal and embed its principles in t...
Dive InEstablishing A Fashion Business To Support Sustainable Cities And Communities
In 2008, for the first time in history, the global urban population outnumbered the rural population. This milestone marked the advent of a new 'urban millennium' and, by 2050, it is expected that two-thirds of the world population will be living in urban areas. With more than half of humankind living in cities and the number of urban residents growing by nearly 73 million every year, it is estimated that urban areas account for 70% of the world's gross domestic product and has therefore gene...
Dive InBuilding Communities With Ethical Events
Communities are about engaged and active members, who care passionately about a like-minded cause together. Organising your own community fashion events can engage people with your brand in a more profoundly integrated and authentic manner, and will propel your business and cause far into other audiences through the power of conversation. Whether you are exploring the potential of simply a talk or panel discussion, the more involved fashion show or pop-up fair, or creative upcycling...
Dive InEthical Fabrics And Why We Need To Use Them
This Masterclass is all about fabrics, led by founder of this The Sustainable Fashion Collective and our sister business Offset Warehouse. We'll dive into the world of ethical materials, and specifically why we need to be using them to create our responsible products."For me, working more sustainably means combatting fast, disposable fashion. To make a product that transcends seasons and is cherished for decades to come, it needs to stand the test of time in a way that doesn't harm the enviro...
Dive InEthical Ways To Work With Leather
The lack of transparency within the leather industry has earned it a bad reputation among designers and brands. But practices such as using leather byproducts, plant-based, organic tanneries, and making sure you're up-to-speed with the latest certifications and standards, make it possible to use animal leather in an ethical and sustainable way today. If animal products don't meet your personal ethical choices, designers are spoilt for choice with the range of vegan leathers and biomaterials o...
Dive InExtending the Life of Textiles and Clothing
Over the past 50 years, sewing and mending skills have dropped off the curriculum in schools. Thanks to the widespread availability of ready-to-wear clothing, consumers are more likely to discard and repurchase than find a way to bring their treasured garment back to life. Clothing today is consumed at an astonishing rate, leaving an as yet unimaginable footprint behind on the environment. In the UK alone we send over 300,000 tons of clothing to landfill each year. (Source: WRAP)How can fashi...
Dive InLaunching A Sustainable Textile Homewares Label
New opportunities are emerging for the homewares, soft furnishing, interiors and upholstery sector as we reconsider the value of our living spaces. With an increase in the housing rental market, a shift in the way we work, and an overall increase in our disposable income (*in developed nations), there is a growing demand for products to aid in our everyday wellbeing and sharing of individual style - beyond that of fashion.Fashion labels have been making a move towards separate homewares lines...
Dive InFighting Poverty With Fashion
In the first Masterclass of our UN Sustainable Development Goal series, we address Goal One: "No Poverty" and unpack the role the textile and fashion industry plays in contributing to poverty across the globe, as well as how ethical fashion production and conscious consumerism can alleviate its devastating impact. To meet this SDG and "end poverty in all its forms everywhere", our industry must take action in improving wages, well-being, and opportunities for workers, building resilience...
Dive InFunding Your Design Business
In this Masterclass, we focus on the all-important question: how are you going to fund your design venture?The road to success can be expensive in the fashion and design world. There are high upfront costs to create each product, and it takes time for your initial investment to yield profit. Not everyone has the funds to start a brand. So you may have to find other sources to fund your venture before your brand is fully functioning and profitable. Fortunately, there are many funding options f...
Dive InGender Equality and the Fashion Industry
Gender inequalities impact all aspects of the fashion supply chain; from violations in garment workers’ rights, to the lack of career progression opportunities in the industry, to the astonishingly low percentage of women in leadership roles (currently 25% of leadership roles in top fashion companies are held by women, while they make up 70% of the total workforce).Taking Sustainable Development Goal No.5 as our focus, this Masterclass provides the necessary frameworks for both entrepreneurs ...
Dive InGrowing and Scaling Your Design Business
You’ve finally launched your brilliant, sustainable business idea, your sales channels are performing well, and operations are running like clockwork - well, more or less! Now you have the foundations, how do you go about navigating those next tricky steps to growth? Scaling doesn’t just mean turning your small business into a big business; it’s a slow process to build up from your foundations. An important place to start is to ask whether your business is ready. This Masterclass empowers ent...
Dive InHow Fashion Brands can Maximise Sustainable Logistics
Minimising the environmental impact of your logistics, from how you source materials, manage your inventory and ship your products, to how your customers dispose of them at the end of their usable life - is vital for any fashion business aiming to be as sustainable as possible. And, doing this while ensuring that you are maximising efficiency and ultimately profit is no mean feat. It is a mammoth area and one that can be complex. In this Masterclass, we break down the different areas and...
Dive InHow Sustainable is Bamboo Fabric?
Increasingly, fashion brands are turning to bamboo textiles as a more sustainable alternative to cotton or synthetic fibres. But clouded by a lack of information and transparency about its manufacture, how sustainable is it? We bring you the answers to those questions and determine once and for all how sustainable bamboo fabric really is. We also cover legally what you need to know to incorporate bamboo textiles into clothing and case study brands using bamboo responsibly - w...
Dive InHow Textiles And Fashion Can Facilitate Clean Water And Affordable Energy
How can your fashion business contribute to the availability and sustainable management of clean water and affordable, sustainable energy? There are a variety of routes to take for those keen to apply Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 & 7 into their mission and goals, but how do you figure out the right one for your enterprise?This Masterclass unpacks the SDGs, making them relatable to fashion and textiles businesses. We outline the key issues surrounding water pollution and energy f...
Dive InHow to Calculate the Carbon Footprint of Your Products
The term 'carbon footprint' is familiar to anyone with an interest in sustainability. It is used to refer to the negative environmental impact of a certain product or production process, by that a t-shirt, mobile phone or car. But what does it actually mean? And why is it important? And, the biggest question of all, how is it calculated?Minimising the environmental impact of your logistics - from how you source materials, manage your inventory and ship your products to how your customers disp...
Dive InHow to Keep Your Fashion Business on Track
Congratulations - you've launched your business! So, what's next? There are many things to consider as your business grows and develops, and in this Masterclass, we are providing you with the resources and guidance to help you stay on track.Covering everything from using social media, to KPIs, to keeping your mind clear as you run a business, this Masterclass will touch on everything you need to know to run a successful business - and remain healthy and happy while you do so. Whethe...
Dive InHow To Make Your Fashion Business More Sustainable
We bring you a comprehensive audit, designed to get to the heart of sustainability in your business. Whether your business boasts excellent material sustainability, an unrivalled workers' rights policy, or a stellar take back scheme for end of life clothing, this audit will help you identify those things that you could do in order to be that little bit better. This audit covers:ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS OF FIBRES, FABRICS & FINISHED PRODUCTS DYES A...
Dive InHow to Produce Your Own Handwoven Fabrics
Handweaving has a long and venerable history in the art of textile production and is still used worldwide to create unique pieces of fabric for clothing, interiors and simply for art's sake. It also offers a sustainable solution to industrial fabric production, largely due to its near-zero waste process. In this Masterclass, we are taking you through the process of working with a weaver to produce your own handwoven textile. We cover the basics of handweaving, from choosing a loom, to wh...
Dive InHow to Source Ethical Fabrics
One of the questions we are most often asked - by designers, students and others across the design industry - is how to source and use ethical fabrics; first off, why you should be using them, and then how and where to source them, which ones are best to use for your product, and how to understand their lifecycle to ensure you are building a truly ethical and sustainable collection. We are here to answer all of those questions. In this Masterclass you will learn:The environmental and soc...
Dive InHow to Use Your Creative Business as a Platform for Activism
Chances are - because you are part of The Sustainable Fashion Collective - you care about some of the more pressing issues facing the world today, including, importantly, climate change. Something we are asked time and again by our members is how to use sustainable businesses as a platform for activism. In this Masterclass, we are taking a look at some influential and inspiring texts by people who have paved the way for today's activists - Gina Martin and Rebecca Huntley. Drawing o...
Dive InIntroduction To Pattern Cutting
Creating patterns for clothing and accessories is a skilled practice due to the detail and technique behind each pattern that will ensure your products are made to specification with a minimal margin of error. If you lack the technical skill or time needed to transform creative vision into an actual product, you may opt to hire a professional pattern cutter.At The Sustainable Fashion Collective, we believe that a basic understanding of pattern cutting will enrich your ability as a designer ru...
Dive InZero Waste Fashion
Some of today's leading designers use zero-waste techniques in sustainable fashion, and you too can learn to apply them in your designs, helping to work towards eliminating the 15% of textiles that go to waste in the cutting room.In this Masterclass, you'll uncover a range of lesser-known sources to inspire zero waste designs, practical techniques for zero waste pattern cutting, and advice on applying circular lifecycles within your business. We interview designers working at the cutting edge...
Dive In