Sustainable Fashion Week makes a Global Impact

Year of growth

2023 was a year of growth for A Single Thread CIC and the annual Sustainable Fashion Week event. They expanded their activities - both in what they delivered directly and through their collaborative partnerships - and reached 1000s more people than they had anticipated across the UK and in three international locations. A Single Thread CIC is the non-profit organisation that delivers Sustainable Fashion Week. They strive to reimagine the collective relationship with fashion and grow a powerful movement for change. As industry and policymakers take their time to regulate and change the fashion supply chain - they focus on consumer behaviour change and the power of collective action... exploring how society can drive change at a grassroots level. The aim is that consumers feel resourced, inspired and equipped to shift consumption away from fast fashion, in favour of new (or rather old) low-impact habits.

A Single Thread run clothes swaps and repair cafés, they speak to students in schools, they advocate for entrepreneurs and champion the regeneration of the British high street through micro fashion businesses. They have previously set up sustainable fashion hubs which combine retail and fashion services. They work with a variety of collaborative partners to deliver engaging activity across the UK for Sustainable Fashion Week and throughout the year.

Encouraging positive change

Sustainable Fashion Week is the only fashion week of its kind, uniting consumers across the UK to encourage positive changes within the fashion industry. The annual event ran from the 25th September to the 8th October and was an explosion of activity, where people connected, shared and learned in various ways to find alternatives to fast fashion. This years theme was The Rewear Revolution, which celebrates everything from second-hand, swapped, reworked, reworn and handed down clothing. The programme delivered activities which demonstrated the value of pre-loved clothing as part of a new fashion system.

Over 20,000 items of clothing were swapped, repaired, reworked or bought pre-loved. This year they partnered with organizations across the country to create 11 regional hubs which were key in the delivery. Across these regional hubs and 4 international hubs there was an estimated 86,275 attendees, the largest amount to date. The community programme was also back this year which saw over 130 events take place across 43 different regions of the UK. With each event estimated at a social media reach of 9,271, the total reach goes above and beyond any initial forecasts.

Sustainable Fashion Week UK will continue to advocate for policies which support micro businesses to explore ways in which communities can be supported to explore sustainable fashion alternatives to a greater extent. They continue to provide consultancy support across a range of initiatives to regenerate the high street for a more sustainable future.

Partners of Sustainable Fashion Week

Sustainable Fashion Week is partnering with Beyond Retro to provide repair cafés across three stores located in Bristol, Cardiff and Brighton. Each store will have on site repairers who can help customers love their vintage and pre-loved clothes for even longer! Sustainable Fashion Week is pleased to be a strategic partner on the newly launched Sustainable Fashion Streets mission. They envision thriving sustainable fashion ventures on every UK high street. To realise this, starting and sustaining these businesses must become more accessible, and this is where their collaborators step in providing consultation and coaching. Launching in September 2024, The Good Clothes Show will seek to showcase the best of sustainable fashion. SFW (sustainable Fashion Week founder) will be advising on the development of the programming. Watch this space for more exciting information!

Whether you are an individual, organisation, community group, education provider, museum, brand or institution… Sustainable Fashion Week want people from all backgrounds to feel included in the narrative of sustainable fashion and work to make it feel accessible and relevant, emphasising the different entry points to sustainability through a variety of approaches.