Waste, But Make It Fashion
An innovator, an entrepreneur and a force for change in the industry - Olivia Weber rolls up her sleeves and makes it her mission to force fashion to be more inclusive, sustainable, and ethical for all women.
Scissors glide through patterned fabrics and the smell of white chalk hangs in the air. Six women work tirelessly at their allocated spaces, measuring tapes hanging from around their necks, barely noticing my presence. I’m at Trashion Factory, Olivia Weber’s latest sustainable fashion endeavour.
Defining herself as “an inclusive feminist”, Olivia Weber has been a force for change within her borough of Walthamstow. The founder and creative director of Trashion Factory, she provides free upcycling workshops dedicated to supporting women and single-mothers from low-income backgrounds. Weber’s workshops give them the opportunity to find employment with their newly learnt sustainable craftsmanship skills in the highly-competitive fashion industry.
Before her solo endeavour, Weber was part of a trio - JOA (Julia, Olivia, Anna). “We started JOA together,” she explains, “[but] then COVID happened, which made us rethink the way we make, where we live, and how close we are to the people we love.” Olivia’s former partners decided to go back to their home country, to be closer to their family - yet for her, London was home and she wasn’t about to give up on her passion of community engagement.
Her love of upcycling sprung from the loss of her aunt to cancer a few years ago. Unwilling to part with her belongings, she decided to bring them back to life by merging different items to form new designs.
The JOA trio graduated from London College of Fashion in 2019, where the brand won them that year’s Enterprise Challenge Award. Their ethos was (and still is) about using unwanted clothing and repurposing them into personalised bomber jackets. Championing zero waste and the upcycling of materials, all of their workshops are designed specifically for the local community.
Running different workshops throughout the year (lasting 6-10 weeks each), Olivia’s students have a true opportunity to learn different craft skills; pattern cutting and sawing to kimono design, eventually involving them in Trashion Factory’s branded t-shirt production and design, where chosen designs give profits to their creator “I try to involve them in as many opportunities as possible,” Olivia explains, “nurturing this factory of kindness as a support system.”
Besides providing her students with life-long skills of craftsmanship, Olivia educates them on the matters of sustainability. “It's interesting how fabric is actually quite an easily available material,” she explains, “once you know what you're doing.” Through gathering excess materials from warehouses and reusing unwanted fabrics from friends and family, Olivia has created a stable and sustainable business model for her brand that is truly beneficial for the environment and the local community.
Tired of the so-called ‘craftsmanship’ many companies market themselves with, Olivia explains that in reality “it’s just constant producing and manufacturing”. Many luxury and fast-fashion corporations define themselves as ‘craftsmen’, yet their garments are mass-produced in factories overseas. “I find craft to be people actually making things” she says, “not seeing them as human machines.”
“I’m hoping that in the future, there’s going to be loads of different sizes, designs, style, and diversity.”
The realities of the fashion industry are no secret to anyone - worker exploitation, hazardous chemicals dumped into drinking water, virtual slave labour. “There’s so much going on in our society that’s illegal,” says Olivia, “and the people know about it, the state knows about it, and they don’t do anything.” Designers like Olivia have had to create their own sustainable fashion future that puts the planet and people first.
As a designer, Olivia doesn’t have experience working for major manufacturers or designers to which she sees a huge benefit. Established designers and fashion houses are sceptical to change, and they don’t realise there may be other options of production that are more sustainable and beneficial. “The design houses and manufacturing are so separate,” she says, “[it] seems to be the common problem where designers are not taking enough responsibility.”
Being a strong advocate for sustainability, Olivia is conscious about her clothing habits. Consumers are so used to buying excess amounts of cheap garments, but for Olivia, making a change primarily comes down to a shift of perspective and appreciation of what you already have.
“I see my clothes almost as people”, she says. “I’ve had some of them for so many years, that I have a wardrobe full of memories.” She puts an emphasis on establishing relationships with the clothing you already have and, if you are adding something new to your current wardrobe, to buy second-hand.
“What I find sad at the moment, is that all brands create very similar things,” she says, “and that’s why so many items are thrown away - because it’s not interesting or doesn’t fit right.” The beauty of buying vintage or upcycled clothing from sites like Depop, is the personalisation and range of style from various fashion eras; those iconic flared jeans from the 70s, that altered bomber jacket from the 90s, or that pair of Dr. Marten’s that you’ve wanted for so long, but couldn’t afford.[2] Instead of being thrown away, the items are repurposed and find a new home, allowing for a circular fashion system.
The constant production of new collections, repetitiveness, and endless seasons contribute to the ‘throw-away culture’ we have succumbed to. “The system is not made for the diversity of human beings we have on our planet”, Olivia explains. We are not all made of identical physiques, each of us is completely different from one aspect to the other, so why are we letting fashion companies treat us like we’re all one person? “I’m hoping that in the future, there’s going to be loads of different sizes, designs, style, and diversity,” says Olivia, “a very colourful future.”
