How did you get into sustainability and why did you chose MA Fashion Futures at London College of Fashion (UAL)?

I was looking into sustainability in my third year (BA Marketing), and I got really interested in it. When I started in fashion, I worked at Arcadia and Boohoo fast-fashion companies. I felt like I needed to be part of the different side of fashion - the one that's not doing all of this crazy stuff to the people and planet. I love the outline of the course because it's ‘Fashion Futures,’ not specifically sustainable fashion. It's a really diverse course in how we approach sustainability, no one's got the same perspective of sustainability as anyone else and there's only 15 of us on the MA - we all feel differently about different things.

That's really interesting to see that everyone has very different outcomes of their work. You recently started your upcycling brand, Looped. When did you start that?

We started that with two other girls, as part of the collaborative unit at the university. I really liked the idea of upcycling and I got into it when I was in my undergrad and when I was working in fast fashion. Seeing the number of samples before they even get to any customer or sign off point, there's so much waste already! I wanted to hone in on making use of all of the products that are not being used, that will go straight to landfill otherwise.

We tried to put on an event with a charity, but then everything happened and the world shut down, so we decided to focus on online. We did tutorials of how to dye your clothes with avocados and cocoa - that was really fun to do! It was great to share ways to be creative in lockdown. Looped is doing well, so far. I mean, people are really buying the face-mask, because that's what people need right now! I hope I can expand it a little more soon.

So you're thinking of expanding into a clothing line of various different types of garments?

Yeah, sure. So, one aspect of my face-masks is that they're reversible. I feel like if you've got two in one, then you know it's a more sustainable outfit because you've got two things for your money’s worth.

I'm trying to upcycle things with a bit of meaning as well. I think it's nice to give things a personal story. I try and work with different samples, not fabrics. It's a really different way of working. You've got to get a bit creative and stingy with your materials, as everything's made to order. It's really fun to play around, just chopping up all these samples, then making them into something really cute.

And where do you get those samples from, normally?

I've got quite a lot of personal samples that I've acquired over the last three years in fast fashion - literally boxes and boxes. But apart from that, I do a lot of charity shop runs. I aim to get fast fashion brand clothing, like TopShop or Primark, because I feel like people don't value that as much in charity shops, and it's more likely to go to landfill. I aim for things with cool patterns and fabrics. I go for something different every time but also I reach out to wholesalers and suppliers who have got old samples - which is something that I'm working on expanding, but I've got a lot to go off, at the moment. It's absolutely crazy how many clothes you acquire over a few years!

What is the current project that you're working on, at the moment?

I'm looking at is social media, how we can bridge the gap between what people say they care about in sustainability and how they actually act. I think it's really interesting how people are going to be more engaged in sustainability in a realistic way, and whether people actually want to do it in a way that is fun, gives people the feeling of shopping. I don't think that should go away, but it should come in a different way. With sustainability, it's not that there's a problem, it's just that there's so much going on in the world, it's really difficult for people to prioritise. I think it's quite like intimidating sometimes as well.

I've been listening to podcasts and talks where major companies and even models, like Cara Delevingne, were talking with NGOs about how to make fashion more sustainable. After a few weeks, it just stopped. At least it started the conversation...

I was reading on your website and the article with Imran Amed. That was quite early on, and it was really positive and seeming that everything's going to change. And now I feel like we are going straight back to normal. I can't really believe it's happening.

I had some hope that, through all these talks and webinars they had about fashion sustainability, it seemed something might change in fashion. I mean, I'm not crossing it out yet, but it seems like everything's just going back to the old ways.

It's just so daunting as well with how everything is in the market, and we don't know what's going to happen. It's really expensive to be a sustainable brand, in terms of packaging and products, it's almost double the price. You need to be in a good position to be making those decisions as a brand. It’s frustrating that it's still not a priority. There's so much value in sustainable businesses, and it's just really scary what it's going to be like in 10 years, if actions don't happen at a big level. In terms of a social level as well with what happened in Leicester. Whenever something's made in the UK, really often it's made in Leicester. You wouldn't dream of directly handing your money to these exploitative companies, if you saw first-hand the breakdown of costs, because it's really crazy.

I was so shocked to find out it was so close to home. I was actually going to ask you about the Boohoo scandal and your thoughts about why do you think it's been ‘hushed’ under for so many years with no consequences?

From an economics perspective, it's really interesting how Boohoo have spoken about not disclosing their list of supply chain, because it's hundreds of suppliers. A lot of factories are great, not all the suppliers are bad people. They've tried to say that they will lose money if they expose their supply chain, because it's their business secret, and the government didn't question it for one second. That's not how things should work. Any of the conglomerates that own massive chains, they don't make all of that money without their costs being very low. In fashion, the wages are really low across the entire industry - they exploit everyone where they can legally get away with it. So I think it's the legislation that needs to be looked at and what is driving the economy.

Speaking about sustainability, and how everyone has a different meaning of it. What does it mean to you?

For me, it's being more conscious in the ways that you're approaching the product. In terms of an economic and social journey, I've learned to be more aware of the process that might have gone through. But I think it's also just trying to invest in products that you're going to wear. I know there's that whole thing, “make sure you can wear it 30 times,” but I do feel that if you really love something, you should be able to buy it and not have to feel guilty. I think there's so much guilt - we're only human! I think it's taking ownership of something, really making it last, and taking better care of it. Changing our mindset and educating yourself, or educate others in a relatable way, to me, that's what being sustainable is.

How would you describe your brand values from Lopped?

I think the value is trying to look at something in a creative and relevant way. I'm trying to have fun with sustainability and revert these attitudes towards second-hand clothing. I'm trying to put across how much waste there is, that's completely unworn, and it's just going to end up in landfill if we don't do something with it. I think it's just trying to have a new approach to sustainable fashion.

You put an emphasis on personalisation within fashion for sustainability with your one-off pieces. Is that how you're pushing your brand?

Yeah, I'll literally have my fabrics there and video call someone or send them pictures of everything I've got, what I think would work, and get an idea of their style. I think to be involved in the creative process, is what I think is most exciting about upcycling. That's the kind of personalised element that I really want to get going. When you feel like you're part of the production process and love what you're designing, you might be a lot more attached to it. It's a lot more difficult to do on a larger scale, because it's just me. It's a great way to be testing the waters in new ways that we could work. do on a larger scale, as it's just me.

Coming down to London and starting in sustainability compared to fast fashion has been a bit overwhelming, but I’m so surprised with how open everyone is, and everyone wants to genuinely help each other. We're all doing it because this is a really urgent situation, not for the money, and we really care about it. I think it's that genuine care, that is really unique about the industry and the support from other people, everyone is just so willing to answer your questions. Everyone wants to help everyone.

Oh, that's so nice! Well, fashion is known as this ‘cutthroat’ industry - very competitive. It’s so lovely to hear how completely different it is, with the approach from designers and creatives within it.

It's really made me feel like everyone's on the same page. You find people who have the same values as you. It's great to be surrounded by people who actually are in fashion for the same reasons. There's just more honesty and creativity that comes with that as well. I mean, I never did dying until I came to London and started asking some of them about dyeing fabrics and found my little avocado obsession.

I was not expecting an avocado to make that colour, to be honest.

Red sock in the wash!

Love it. How can we, as consumers, increase the life of clothing to decrease the amount of landfill and pollution?

Education is really important. If something rips, most think it's not worth getting it repaired, because in London it's really expensive to get things repaired. Just YouTubing it - that's literally how I learned how to sew and do everything. It's just such an amazing tool for creativity. Empower yourself, don't just think that that's the end of it. I know it's hard to find the time in everything that we need to be part of and educated about today, and that it's just another one of those things that we need to step up on. Try a bit harder, because we could all do a little bit better. I think, myself included, and it's easy to slip into old habits and you just have to think - if it was directly paining you, you wouldn't do it.

Looped Reworked masks are available to order @loopedreworked - just DM!