Manikins wearing fashion for the Next Stop Fashion event with photography on the walls.
Manikins wearing fashion for the Next Stop Fashion event with photography on the walls.

The Next Stop for Fashion encourages sustainable approach

Intro

The Next Stop for Fashion, which aimed to inform and inspire local people in Ealing to change the way they engage with fashion, is the brainchild of Fashion Business students from the London School of Film, Media & Design at the University of West London. Held at the Ealing Project on Wednesday 10 May, the Next Stop offered attendees the chance to learn about repairing and upcycling their clothes, or even give them a second life as part of a clothes swap.

Main body

The event which is the legacy of a project which the Fashion Business students worked on last year, where they were awarded funding by the British Academy and SOS UK, was very well attended by stakeholders, the local Ealing community and UWL students. 

An industry panel talk gave real insight into the huge problems of textile waste - and strategies to help reduce over consumption. The discussion was moderated by sustainable fashion expert Charlotte Turner, with panellists TRAID Recycling Development Manager Jose Baladron, founder of Ealing Repair Café and board member of Act for Ealing Mary Horesh, and Head of Environment and Sustainability, Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd Majonne Frost. 

The event itself was a hive of activity – with the Clothing Swap (supported by the West London Waste Authority) seeing students and local residents eagerly exchanging unwanted items. Attendees could learn how to mend or upcycle garments, through workshops run by Ealing Repair Café and Re’Store and visit curated pop-up stalls for Cancer Research UK, and local fashion businesses focusing on upcycled and pre-loved fashion. 

London School of Film, Media & Design

London School of Film, Media & Design

Two male students checking the settings on a video camera
A selection of fashion accessories laid out on a table including jewellery, hats and purses for the Next Stop Fashion event.

Heather Dupay, Course Leader, Fashion Buying and Management comments: 

It was great to see students being able to showcase projects and engage with the local community to discuss environmental and social issues in the fashion industry, new ways to extend the life of their clothing, responsible ways to pass on unwanted clothing, and to support sustainable businesses in the local area.  

This was our first event held at the Ealing Project - and we hope to be able to build on the success to organise many other community events in the future.”

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