It was the site of thousands of items of clothes dumped in a South American desert that prompted Gail Gravett to take action closer to home.
TV explorer Simon Reeves’ report from the Atacama reawakened Gail’s interest in the environment which goes back to time spent studying environmental science at university.
“Watching the programme which showed how piles of clothing were in fact visible from space brought everything into alignment for me – I needed to do something about it,” Gail told Business Crack.
Since 2015 she has worked as a business advisor for Cumbria Chamber of Commerce working with 300 new businesses.
Leading by example and with support from the Cumbria Sustainability Network in December she started the Cumbria Clothing Collective.
The community interest company is aiming to encourage more of us to consider not buying as many clothes or discarding possessions as fashions change.
“One of our key messages is that we only wear 28% of the clothes in our wardrobe,” Gail said. “A garment might not be in the right size but with a repair or alteration it could have a lengthier life.”
When it comes to the fact that cheap clothing can be purchased she urges consumers to ‘buy better’ and consider how clothes can be re-used before being donated to charity.
“Clothes need to suit you and your lifestyle yet we’re driven by social media that fashions change every month – people don’t need that volume of clothing,” Gail said.
It’s hoped the movement could lead to the creation of more small businesses to alter and repair clothes around Cumbria.
The Cumbria Clothing Collective also aim to create a directory for the county listing outlets which are able to support consumers who are keen to learn new skills or pay for alterations and repairs.
“I think there’s a real opportunity for new businesses to be created and there is a need for this change of attitude in our economy,” Gail said.
With connections already made with repair cafes in Penrith and Kendal and a fashion show in Barrow to be held this summer, the network looks set to grow.
For more information check out: https://www.cumbriaclothingcollective.co.uk/
