Sustainable Style

Posted by Verity on October 26, 2025 in climate change, Consumer issues, Environment, Fashion | 4 comments

We are delighted to welcome a contribution from Juliet Brook, a long-time friend of damesnet (and, more importantly, sister of Dame V).

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Dame Verity is a charity shop afficionado, hence her interest in my latest exploit.

I had responded to a request from our local Repair Café for people of all ages, shapes and sizes to model clothes from all four of our local charity outlets to celebrate Sustainable Fashion week:

Oxfam, Barnardo’s, Red Cross and Phyllys Tuckwell provided garments. (Other charities are available but not in Cranleigh, try Banstead for a wider selection!)

Early on a Wednesday evening the back of the band room in Cranleigh turned into a chaotic garment-strewn area as all the models, with jumble sale-sharpened elbows, strove to claim the items they thought they would look best in or would never wear in public but would love to try on  – after all, as we all know, when it comes to fashion shows what goes on on the cat walk stays on the catwalk. The few men who volunteered were far more reserved and well behaved.

On Saturday night we  were a motley crew aged from 12 to – well, I wouldn’t like to say, and  sized 8 to18, all ready to sport our favoured outfits, three of them each, give or take. There were banks of lights, a mixing desk for the sound track and a large camera hiding a photographer. All the seats were sold and the drinks and nibbles turned out to be a respectable buffet.

Hermione Thomson gave a talk on textiles and sustainability, reminding us that the most sustainable garment is the one already in our wardrobe. She gave us sobering information but did not manage to dampen the mood. The enthusiasm shown by the audience for the show energised and emboldened the models.

So there I was strutting my stuff on the cat walk, yes, the cat walk! It’s quite hard to strut your stuff along only 10 meters of band room floor to the upbeat sound of ‘Up Town Girl’, making your moments of glory last long enough for the outfits to be admired, which led to some interesting gaits and poses, some more elegant than others. Nevertheless, £500 worth of clothing was sold on the night.

I was not able to buy some of the things I chose to wear as other lucky people bought them but here is what I did take away:

• The fast fashion industry is the second most polluting industry on the planet (after oil), creating 92 million tons of waste yearly.
• It is responsible for 10% global carbon emissions annually.
• Less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled.
• Fast fashion generates 20% of global waste water and 35% of microplastics.

One should also consider the exploitative work practices that allow fast fashion at throwaway prices.

I am hoping that the show converted sceptics to the frugal fun fashion available in the glorious charity shops on our high streets.