IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Cambridge Sustainable Fashion Festival – POSTPONED

After heartfelt deliberation, Cambridge Carbon Footprint (CCF) has taken the difficult decision to postpone our Sustainable Fashion Festival. CCF takes the health and wellbeing of its volunteers, staff and event attendees extremely seriously. Since the threat from Coronavirus was declared a public health emergency, CCF has been monitoring the situation and advice issued by Public Health England (PHE).

We're very sorry to those who’d planned to join us for the Sustainable Fashion Festival. We are looking to reschedule for late autumn, please keep an eye on our social media and website for updates. We’d like to thank all our partners for their incredible support and understanding. Anyone who has booked a workshop with a fee will get a full refund.

Our clothes and buying habits are a massive problem – the volume of clothes produced today has already doubled in only 20 years and the resultant greenhouse emissions exceed that of aviation and shipping combined. On the positive, our dressing habits are a part of our footprint that we really can easily do something about. We can #WearOurValues if we know where to look. We’re so excited by the possible solutions that we are pulling together our dream Sustainable Fashion Festival. On the day you'll be able to:

  • Browse a pop-up clothing and accessory market selling items which don’t exploit either people or planet. Innovative fashion students will be showcasing clothing made from deadstock and biomaterials.
  • Meet up with a few hundred people at a giant Swish (clothes swapping party), all looking to swap their unworn clothes and accessories for ones that are new to them.Men's and women's clothes, organised by Ladybirds WI.
  • Book in for advice from sustainable stylist, Roberta Lee on how to create a wardrobe that has fewer pieces but ones that work together. Roberta can identify clothes that'll fit you, suit you and reflect not the high street’s style, but yours! Choose from 'Building Your Capsule Wardrobe', Body Shape Analysis and Colour Analysis'. Booking required, £12.
  • Attend our panel talk ‘Fashion the Future’ with keynote Deborah Luffman, Product Director at inspiring outdoor wear brand Finisterre. Finisterre are committed to building a successful company whilst innovating on plastics, chemicals, repair and sourcing. Deborah is also founder of ThinkCircular that works with business, education & policymakers, to inspire the transition towards circular products and systems. No booking, just turn up.
  • Visit the Sewing Repair Cafe to have your clothes repaired for free and receive 1:1 sewing advice. There will be jewellery and sewing machine repairs too.
  • Take part in free Clothes Upcycling Workshops to breathe new life into something tired or unworn. Choose from 'Ace the lace', 'Visible mending' and 'Turn-ups, Cuffs and Collars'.
  • Find out more about the global trend towards clothing rental and sign up to local platform, The Nu Wardrobe

800 people attended the first Festival and loved it. This year it’s all happening in the same beautiful location as last time and will include a brilliant Ladybirds WI hosted cafe with homemade and vegan cakes.

BUY LESS. CHOOSE WELL. MAKE IT LAST. Check out the full programme below!

#CamSustainableFashionFest

Programme

Sustainable Fashion Pop-up Market

A vibrant market place featuring designers and sustainable clothing and accessories. Browse new, vintage and upcycled wares. Advice and information stalls too.

Styling workshops hosted by sustainable stylist Roberta Lee

Roberta believes that finding your own style is one of the keys to buying less and looking after the planet whilst still looking great. Workshops include: 'Colour analysis’, ‘Building your capsule wardrobe’ and 'Body shape analysis'. Roberta is a stylist, personal branding expert, and founder of Ethical Brand Directory.

Panel discussion: Fashion the Future

A panel discussion featuring some of the leading lights from the sustainable fashion movement. The focus will be on sharing stories of incredible innovation, leadership and good news stories from the evolving world of fashion. There will be time to ask questions and meet the speakers.

Up-cycling workshops 'Ace the Lace' 'Visible Mending' & 'Turn-ups, Cuffs and Collars'.

Choose from one of the three options: Visible mending, Turn-ups, Cuffs and Collars or Ace the Lace. All start at 1:30pm, no booking required.

 

Women’s and Men's Clothes Swapping Party

Swap some unloved clothes for ones that are new to you! Drop off at 11am, swapping starts at 11:30am and ends at 12:30pm. We recommended bringing along 2-6 items. Accessories and shoes welcome too.

Sewing themed Repair Café and Sewing Skillshare

Repair Cafés match people with broken and worn items with those who can fix them. Do you have socks with holes, broken zips, jeans that need taking up, tears in your shirts, duvets that need new poppers, jumpers with worn elbows? We can help. It’s best to book your item in by filling in the form here. You can drop by, but you may have to wait. The skillshare is a drop-in at which you’ll receive friendly 1:1 help with starting, or improving on, your sewing skills.

Tea and Cake!

Run by the vibrant Cambridge Ladybirds WI enjoy an all-day café serving teas, coffees and homemade and vegan cakes.

Styling workshops - with Sustainable Stylist Roberta Lee

London based Roberta Lee will host three brilliant sessions during the event: Colour Analysis; Creating Your Capsule Wardrobe and Body Shape Analysis. Roberta states that ‘My goal has always been to empower women to be the best version of themselves from the inside out – and do it in a socially and environmentally responsible way.' Note: Each workshop needs to be booked individually.

Colour Analysis
11am - 12pm
£12 booking required

This workshop will help you identify a wardrobe palette that will enhance your natural colouring, helping you to dress better whilst buying less stuff. It'll help you feel that you always have something you love to wear that looks good on you.

Creating a Capsule Wardrobe
1.15 - 2.15pm
£12 booking required

Could you dress better but buy less stuff? Do you dream about always having something you feel like wearing and that looks good on you? Wish you had more space at home and could find your clothes more easily? Then this workshop, may just be for you!

Bodyshape Analysis
3.30 - 4.30pm
£12 booking required

This workshop explores forms, lines, fabrics and cuts that'll make you feel and look your best. Knowing which clothes really suit you, can help you dress better and buy less. It'll help you to feel that you always having something to wear which looks good on you.

Up-cycling workshops

Cambridgeshire has a wonderfully strong Repair Cafe culture and within that are many brilliant sewers. Join them in one of three up-cycling workshops, please book below. The workshops are free but please bring the main item you'll be up-cycling with you ie: a top, jeans etc. We'll have threads, lace, patches and accessories but please bring along any favourites you have.

 

Ace the Lace
11.30am - 1.30pm
Booking required

Upcycling means using old, discarded or vintage pieces of clothing and transforming them into something which is better than its original. And that's what we'll be doing at this fun workshop with some old lace and other decorative fabrics.

Visible Mending
11.30am - 1.30pm
Booking required

Sometimes repairing a hole or rip can be an opportunity for creativity and self-expression or even a chance to create a personal piece of art! Learn how to mend your clothes with stunning style at this workshop.

Turn-ups, Cuffs and Collars
11.30am - 1.30pm
Booking required

Adding a gorgeous piece of fabric to the inside of your collar, cuffs or bottom of your jeans can instantly update a boring piece of clothing. Cuffs can lengthen items too and they can be removed or swapped out over time.

Free event - no booking required*

*except for style workshops