NEWS & OPINION
GOTS: What’s the difference between regenerative and organic?
With so many terms relating to the sustainable fashion industry, it can be difficult to understand which direction is best to head in and which certifications are the most valuable to align with your brand credentials. There has been a lot of confusion between the terms regenerative and organic in particular. As the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has some handy definitions between the two terms and guidance on best practices.
The Red Dress is heading to Bath Spa University
We’re hugely excited to announce that as part of our Flagship Hub programme of activities, The Red Dress project will be exhibited at the Bath Spa University Locksbrook campus between 23rd - 27th September. Conceived by British artist, Kirstie Macleod, the Red Dress provides an artistic platform for individuals (the majority of whom are women and live in poverty) to tell their personal stories through the craft of embroidery.
Introducing SFW Hub: Birmingham
Introducing our Hub partner in central Birmingham, delivered by The Good Clothes Show! The Good Clothes Show will be taking place at the National Exhibition Centre between 20th-22nd September, in a celebration of sustainable fashion. Meet makers, perfect your pre-loved pieces, find and swap luxury sustainable garms, discover boutiques and brands, and listen to leading and inspiring speakers in a celebration of good fashion.
Introducing SFW Hub: Shoreditch
Introducing our Hub partner in Shoreditch, CLOSWAP!CLOSWAP that allows people to trade clothes online and offline. They aim to match the pace, price and practicality of fast fashion, whilst designing the app to appeal to Gen Z. Founded just over a year ago, they've already welcomed 15,000 attendees at their events and collaborated with prestigious organisations like Global Fashion Exchange, TEDx, and branches of Harvard University.
Introducing SFW Hub: Frome
Introducing our Hub partner in Frome, Everyone Needs Pockets! Everyone Needs Pockets is an inclusive network of people and enterprises based in and around Frome, Somerset, whose focus lies in addressing clothing and textile reuse and sustainability through repurposing, repair, and recycling.
Introducing SFW Hub: Crystal Palace
Introducing our Hub partners in Crystal Palace, Jess and Hana!
Crystal Palace is one of London’s best places for vintage shops and is home to lots of people who love second-hand, homemade, repurposed and mended clothing. Local residents have joined together to create a truly community-led programme for Sustainable Fashion Week.
Introducing SFW Hub: Dorset
Introducing our Hub partner in Dorset, hosted by Sustainable Dorset, Bridport Fashion Revolution and Defashion Dorset.
The three organisations have grouped together to host an incredible programme of activity during SFW 2024.
Introducing SFW Hub: Belfast
Introducing our Hub partner in Belfast, hosted by Another World Belfast!
Another World Belfast is a not for profit CIC which funds the charity Show Some Love. They build practical projects, events and spaces to unite the diverse community and provide aid for people who are experiencing hardship. Established in 2017, AWB is a fiercely independent charity an
Introducing SFW Hub: Newtown
Introducing our Hub in Newtown, hosted by Textile Junkies!
Textile Junkies is a non-profit community-based business focused on promoting circular textiles, created by Cheryl Griffiths of The Dressmaker’s Daughter as a result of her concern about the impact fast fashion is having on the environment.
Introducing SFW Hub: Hastings
Introducing our Hub in Hastings, MAKU! Dedicated to making useful, beautiful things out of discards from the leather industry. MAKU was established in 2021 by a small team of like-minded people who love working with natural materials and believe in ‘making use, not waste’.
Introducing SFW Hub: Chicago
Introducing our Hub partner in Chicago, USA, delivered by Macaila Britton! Macaila Britton is an Environmental Communicator and Storyteller.She is the founder of Sustainable Business Guide (SBG), an online directory connecting users with sustainable brands and businesses. On the consultancy side, SBG supports businesses with environmental auditing, impact reporting, and ESG communications, marketing, and public relations strategies.
Introducing SFW Hub: Leeds
The Scrap Creative Reuse Arts Project is a social enterprise based in Leeds, that is focused on helping the environment by reusing waste materials from businesses as resources for art and play. The Scrap Shop in Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, is open to everyone and filled to the brim with discarded materials, originally destined for landfill.
Introducing SFW Hub: Oxford
Introducing our Hub in Oxford, led by Cherwell Collective CIC.
Cherwell Collective supports local groups near Oxford with infrastructure to empower and educate the community to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce food waste, and increase wellbeing. They empower those in their community who, due to social, financial, or medical inequities and exclusions, believe that reducing our impact on the climate is beyond their reach.
Introducing SFW Hub: Leek
Our Hub partners in Leek are led by League of Artisans. League of Artisans is an NGO set up to empower and advocate for skilled craftspeople who work with their hands to make functional or decorative objects linked to their culture, community, region or traditions.
Sponsor Spotlight: Norland
Introducing our sponsor in Bath, Norland! Norland, the world-famous specialist early childhood higher education provider, is delighted to host the SFW Hub: Bath. Throughout its 132-year-history, Norland has upheld its core values which place children at the heart of all it does.
Introducing SFW Hub: Canada
Introducing our Canadian Hub, provided by Musey!
Musey is a social enterprise that empowers artisans by promoting and showcasing their traditional skills in a socially responsible way. Maheshi Wanasundara founded Musey to share the beautiful artisan crafts from Sri Lanka with people around the world while creating meaningful opportunities for Sri Lankan artists, women and family owned small businesses to participate in their economic growth.
Sustainable or Socially Conscious? Get both with GOTS certification!
GOTS is the worldwide leading voluntary textile processing standard for natural organic fibres with strict environmental, human rights and social requirements along the entire supply chain.
Introducing SFW Hub: Huddersfield
Thread Republic CIC is a Mend Assembly Global affiliate in Kirklees, West Yorkshire. It was founded in 2022 by 4 local freelance textile practitioners with a shared vision to view the local community as active citizens, not passive consumers, with whom they can learn, collaborate, explore and implement solutions to reduce and reuse local streams of textile waste whilst sharing skills, having fun and boosting creativity.
Introducing SFW Hub: Brighton
Brighton Fashion Collective is a community group comprising of passionate individuals and two leading local non-profit organisations: Brighton Peace & Environment Centre, a long-standing local environmental charity, and Sew Fabulous, a not for profit sewing studio and Community Interest Company.
Introducing SFW Hub: Isle of Sheppey
Our Isle of Sheppey Hub is led by Jade of Lila-Rose Upcycled Clothing, a brand which creates clothes and accessories from the discarded and unloved. Using reclaimed wool and discarded plastic, Jade’s work has evolved from a passion for mending, experimenting and combining textile techniques with upcycling to create limited edition clothes and accessories.