Fashion, textiles and art students from Wiltshire College & University Centre are working with hospice charity Dorothy House to transform unwanted clothing into unique, upcycled designs.
The one-off ‘re-born’ garments will be sold in Dorothy House shops to raise funds, while giving students at the college’s Trowbridge campus valuable real-world experience.
The project brings together first and second year Level 3 fashion and textiles students alongside first year Level 2 art and design students. It was inspired by Dorothy House’s Threads for Care initiative, which reworks donated clothing that cannot be sold in its shops.
Dorothy House 50th Anniversary
Dorothy House, which is marking its 50th anniversary, launched Threads for Care last year. Only around 30% of donated items can be sold, with more than £70,000 spent each year disposing of unsaleable stock.
Over the next two months, 42 students will use these ‘rags’ to create new pieces while developing their creative and technical skills.
First year fashion and textiles students will take inspiration from a Marie Antoinette exhibition at the V&A Museum, creating high street interpretations of grand party dresses.
First year art and design students will receive randomly selected bags of waste clothing from Dorothy House’s Corsham warehouse. They will cut, weave, knit and knot the fabrics into bags, adding personal details such as pockets and decoration.
They will also upcycle denim, using embroidery, paint and textiles to create personalised pieces with individual messages.
Fashion students promote sustainability
Second year fashion and textiles students will design bold, eye-catching outfits that promote sustainability. These will be modelled in professional fashion shoots and showcased at a student-run fashion show at the college.
“Threads for Care fits very well with the ethical and sustainable theme that runs through all of our fashion and arts courses,” said Helen Chivers, lecturer in fashion and textiles, adding, “We want to promote sustainability and recycling, and address the excesses of fast fashion while giving back to our community.”
Helen said the project will help students develop key professional skills. “They’ll be learning to work collaboratively, manage multiple deadlines and build on the making skills relevant to their specialism,” she said.
She added that the real-world aspect is invaluable. “Being able to see their work sold in an actual shop is something you can’t recreate in the college environment, so the value of this project is enormous,” she said.
Dorothy House Head of Communications Katy Hancock said the collaboration brings fresh energy to the Threads for Care brand. “It’s fantastic to work with creatives in our community who want to repurpose waste into bespoke, individual pieces,” she said.
She added, “It helps us reduce the amount of clothing going to landfill and lowers the cost of disposing of unsaleable donations, while offering something really special to our shoppers.”
All of the finished pieces will appear on the catwalk at the college’s fashion show on 18 June, which will be organised and run by the students.
For more information about fashion courses at Wiltshire College & University Centre, visit wiltshire.ac.uk.
To find out more about Dorothy House, visit dorothyhouse.org.uk.
