University of Southampton’s Fashion Students Lead Sustainable Fashion Initiative with Salvation Army Collaboration
Fashion design students from the University of Southampton’s Winchester School of Art have partnered with the Salvation Army for a new, sustainable fashion initiative.
The Future You, Future Fashion project has seen more than three tonnes of pre-loved clothes and household materials originally donated to the charity’s clothing banks transformed by students into new, high-fashion coats.
After featuring in several high-profile photoshoots with leading celebrity photographers, many of the garments have since been sold in the charity stores, raising over £5,000 for the Salvation Army.
Milly Toombes, a third-year fashion design student, has been a part of the project since its conception. She said: “I think it’s amazing. It’s really affirming for us as fashion students as we usually make our clothes, submit them and then that’s it.
“This time, not only have we raised money for the Salvation Army, but you know that someone out there owns your garment – so you’ve made lots of people happy and that’s a great feeling.”
Students were tasked to use old curtains and blankets but had to submit their designs before knowing what materials they’d receive.
Milly added: “It was a fun challenge; I have worked with used clothes before but never curtains. You really had to take a step back and forget it was already a finished product by looking at it like just another square piece of fabric.
“I really had to sit there and work with what I had, but it’s probably my favourite garment I’ve made yet because of that.”
As the largest charity-owned textiles collector in the UK, the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL) is the trading arm of the Salvation Army Charity, operating around 8,000 clothing banks and over 230 charity stores.
Each clothing bank holds up to 240 kilos of clothing, handbags and shoes. By reusing and recycling these donated textiles, the charity greatly reduces the amount sent to disposal and gives items a new lease of life.
Sophia Malig, Senior Teaching Fellow at Winchester School of Art, said: “It’s been a fantastic collaboration that’s helped our students to approach something in a new way.
“Many of them had never worked with unconventional materials such as curtains or blankets before, so it’s let test their own limits for how they create clothing.
“These clothes that the students have made are amazing, they’re unique – and they’ve all worked so incredibly hard to make the project what is has become.”
The public will be offered the opportunity to purchase the remaining upcycled pieces once more, in a final pop-up shop soon to be announced.