Earlier this week our Partnerships Lead, Amber Rochette, chatted with Alex Henden from Changes Bristol; a community-based mental health charity that provides free peer support groups and one-to-one befriending services to help improve people’s mental wellbeing. We are delighted that the organisation is also one of SFW’s latest partners.

With the beginning of spring and the approach of lockdown’s end, the UK feels on the brink of a new life. This week we look at the Christian practices of Lent and Easter, and what they can teach us about environmentalism and our quest towards a fairer, greener and happier planet.

It’s International Day of Forests… and we’re thrilled to announce today that the UK branch of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC UK) is now a sponsor of SFW!

Here, SFW Volunteer Alex looks into fibres that derived from trees. Yep, that’s right. Many of our favourite fabrics are composed of fibres that originate in forests - and their use is on the up in the industry. What are the benefits and what are the considerations?

Naomi Austin previously designed men’s & boys’ sportswear for a number of high-profile brands such as Reebok, Umbro and Marks & Spencer's. Now, alongside being a full-time senior lecturer in fashion design & promotion at the University of Sunderland, she is working towards a PHD. Her research has been focused on the potential for high street chains to use bast fibres (hemp, linen & ramie) as they have a much lower demand for water and energy. Here she answers a few Qs put to her by the SFW Team.

In 2015, the UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a guide for Member States to achieve sustainability in their countries. At SFW, we work to incorporate each goal into our organisation but today we talk specifically about poverty, gender inequality, climate action, clean energy and responsible consumption.

We’re looking for a Social Media Lead volunteer to join our team to manage all day to day aspects of our social media channels. Have a read through our role brief and get in touch for more information…

Funsho is a trainee maths teacher with a passion to learn about and implement all things sustainable and ethical.  She is SFW’s new Digital Programme Leader; designing digital content for our website and social media. In her spare time, Funsho manages the YouTube channel 'Girl on The Way'; creating home sustainability videos, with the aim of informing her audience about ethical and environmentally friendly lifestyle alternatives.

Introducing one of our community inclusion volunteers, Alice. She’s based in Falmouth, studying Fashion Design and running her side-hustle of creating designs from fabric remnants.

SFW is proud to have Mya-Rose Craig (AKA Birdgirl) on our team. Mya is - among many others things - a birder, race equality activist and environmental campaigner. In this blog post, Mya tells us about the need for intersectional environmentalism and offers valuable insight into the world of fast fashion - and what needs to change.

In 2019, the UK’s government was the first country to declare a climate emergency and legislate around it. This historic moment would not have happened if it were not for the school strikes and nation-wide extinction rebellion protests that happened earlier in the year. This just shows that if we want change, we need to act on it. Climate activism has never been so important.

In 2019, The Climate Change Act 2008 was amended and the government put in place a 100% target reduction in green-house-gas emissions by 2050; ‘net-zero’. However, according to recent research, the UK is not even on track to achieve our previous 80% target reduction. Can the government step it up in time to stop the climate emergency?

As sustainability becomes more ‘fashionable’, companies around the globe are jumping on the band wagon - but not always in a good way. Greenwashing has become an unfortunate phenomenon with many brands claiming eco-friendly resources and practises, whilst the reality is far from sustainable. It is high time the law changed to prevent greenwashing and put an end to the deceit from which many brands benefit.

Amber is the new member of our Partnerships Team, focusing on finding sponsors for the event and securing long-lasting partnerships. Currently studying a Masters in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development, Amber’s environmental ethos stems from her upbringing in the Welsh countryside. She now seeks to help the fashion industry become more sustainable, believing fiercely that change must come from the top.

There are many ways to become a #SFWPioneer, and in this blog we list just a few of the small resolutions you could adopt for the start of 2021. Whether you vow to learn to sew, or take up second-hand shopping, there are so many small steps you can take to tackle fast fashion and empower the sustainable fashion movement.

Fast fashion is having detrimental effects on people across the globe every day. The consequences of this system’s exploitation of people and planet are being see now - and this is not a problem that we can wait any longer to address. Donate to our Crowdfunder, become a #SFWPioneer and empower our community to fight fast fashion.

Sustainable Fashion Week is the first of its kind and was due to launch in April 2020, but now needs your help to raise £10,000. We're asking for your support to become a #SFWPioneer and launch Sustainable Fashion Week 2021 to the UK.

As SCAP 2020 ends, Textiles 2030 takes over. Textiles 2030 will launch in April 2021 and aims to accelerate the fashion industry’s move away from our current ‘take, make, use, throw’ model towards a circular system. In this system clothes are used for longer, are re-used and recycled fibres are used to create new products whilst carbon and water impacts are reduced.

Across the world are ideas and philosophies which encourage compassion and empathy towards the planet. From Bolivia’s Law of Mother Nature to James Lovelock’s Gaia Hypothesis, there are several beliefs which uphold the idea of the planet as living. Adopting these beliefs, and beginning to imagine the Earth as part of ourselves, could be the first step in tackling the climate crisis and creating an ecological balance between people and planet.

Bristol has been declared the most eco-friendly city in the UK - and it certainly delivers when it comes to sustainable fashion. Not only is the city brimming with second-hand, zero-waste and charity shops, but it is also home to some inspirational start-ups working to make sustainable fashion the mainstream.

Continents such as Africa and Asia have become the dumping ground for the Western World’s clothes. This means excessive waste colonisation as we allow other countries to take on the devastating environmental consequences of our textile waste, leading to overfilled landfill sites, pollution and floods. However, we can learn a lot from the creative and innovative use of second-hand clothes seen in many African nations.