fashion – Anne Clark Handmade

Fashion Revolution Week 2026

Fashion Revolution was founded in 2013 in the wake of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh. It was established to advocate for greater transparency, ethics, and sustainability in the fashion industry. The movement is known for its annual campaign, Fashion Revolution Week. This year it took place from April 22nd-28th. Belper’s first Fashion Revolution event took place in 2019, in St Peter’s Church on Friday April 26th. More information can be found on this blog post https://www.anneclarkhandmade.co.uk/fashion-revolution-week/

Clothes manufacturing is a major environmental polluter, responsible for roughly 8–10% of global carbon emissions, which exceeds the combined impact of international flights and maritime shipping

Recently I attended an interesting talk by Dr. Amy Twigger Holroyd, a Professor of Alternative Fashion Systems at Nottingham School of Art and Design. The title of the talk was “Historical Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion: Inspiration for Change” The lecture explored the history of sustainable fashion, providing examples of success stories and cautionary tales, covering materials, reuse, and manufacturing to inspire modern eco-conscious design.

One of the projects Amy has been involved with is the Reknit-Revolution , this involved reworking of existing knitted items using knit-based skills. This work was initially created as part of her PhD research, and has been further developed since. It was showcased at her first major solo exhibition, Units of Possibility: The Reknit Revolution, at Rugby Art Gallery & Museum in summer 2017. I found this most interesting as I enjoy knitting and also really love altering clothes both those I have bought secondhand or things I have had in my wardrobe for many years.

One interesting and unsettling thing Amy said was that although there has been a rise of people buying secondhand clothing, overall clothing consumption remains high, representing a “complementary” rather than “substitutional” shift in consumer behaviour. The global secondhand market is expanding three times faster than the firsthand market however it has not displaced the production and consumption of new garments. This phenomenon, sometimes called “circular economy rebound,” means that consumers often buy used clothing in addition to, rather than instead of, new items. More information about her research can be found here, https://amytwiggerholroyd.com

Below are some examples of clothes I have altered.

The skirt was a skirt I had for a number of years and so I wanted to make it more interesting.

This was a pre-worn jacket I bought from Ebay and then embroidered.

Crochet, Trains and the Ripple Effect Dress

This may sound like a very strange mix so I will try to explain. I learnt to knit when I was young and as a teenager made my own jumpers. I find knitting relaxing, creative and social. I usually carry a small project in my bag so that if I find myself having to wait for an appointment or a meal, I can occupy myself with my needles and yarn. I enjoy knitting on long car, bus and train journeys and even while listening to music in the pub. It can be a way of starting conversations when someone asks what I am making as they are intrigued if I answer, a jumper for a mouse.

Since 2012 I have been using my knitting and creativity as a way of making pieces to be displayed in public.Yarn bombing is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colourful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn rather than paint or chalk. It is also called wool bombing, yarn storming, guerrilla knitting, kniffiti, urban knitting, or graffiti knitting.There are several posts on this blog about this.

To get back to the title of this post, I have recently decided to return to crocheting and try to get better at it. It takes up less room in my handbag and I can achieve different effects and patterns with this craft. One recent Sunday afternoon I was sitting in the cafe of the restored Wingfield Station enjoying a cup of coffee and listening to some talented local musicians while practicing making granny squares. The station is on the mainline running from Derby to Chesterfield and is a good place for some train spotting.

A customer came over to me and asked what I was doing and this started quite a long conversation. She informed me of a local community project called the Ripple Effect Dress. This is a creative project inspired by David Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’ film. People were invited to design and make a unique piece to be added to the Ripple Effect Dress. I wish I had known about it in time to take part as it sounds such a fantastic idea. However it will be possible to see the finished dress and be inspired by the work others have done on Friday May 8th. I do not have any more details at the moment but will keep an eye on their social media page Facebook, the Ripple Effect and Instagram. The Ripple Effect Dress

A bit more information about the trains part of this blog. The restoration of the Grade II listed South Wingfield Station, (one of the world’s oldest railway stations), was completed by the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust in late 2023. The project restored the building to its original 1840 appearance, featuring repaired stonework, restored fireplaces, and a new visitor centre in the adjacent Goods Shed. Wingfield Station is open to the public as a heritage centre, tea room, local community amenity, event space and is also available for private and business hire. The cafe is open to the public from Wednesday to Sunday, more information and be found here www.wingfieldstation1947.co.uk

As far as the crochet is concerned, I am enjoying getting back to learning this skill but still have a long way to go. I find the website https://attic24.co.uk extremely interesting and helpful.

Fashion Revolution Week

Belper’s first Fashion Revolution event took place during Fashion Revolution Week 2019. The action happened in St Peter’s Church on Friday April 26th, it was very well supported by people from Belper and beyond.The idea for the Fashion Revolution movement came from Carry Somers after the tragedy of the Rana Plaza disaster. On 24 April 2013, a factory building in Bangladesh collapsed killing 1,134 people and injuring 2500 more. Carry (who has a Fair Trade shop in Ashbourne) felt this was a tipping point and something needed to be done. She phoned Orsola de Castro, founder of up-cycling fashion label ‘From Somewhere‘. Orsola immediately said, ‘Yes we have got to do this.” The first fashion Revolution Day took place in 2014. Fashion Revolution Day has now become Fashion Revolution Week and this year took place from April 22 – 28. Continue reading Fashion Revolution Week

Fashion Revolution Belper

Do you wear clothes? In that case please read the rest of this article. Our Member’s of Parliament say the Fashion Industry is a major source of the greenhouse gases that are overheating our planet. Discarded clothes are piling up in landfill sites and fibre fragments are flowing into the sea when clothes are washed. Find out more HERE.

Continue reading Fashion Revolution Belper

Up-Cycling and Mending

In 2016 I made two shopping bags and a garden cushion from some coffee sacks. They were made from old jute sacks that coffee beans are imported in. I had used the sacks originally to collect garden clippings but didn’t find them very useful as twigs got caught in the weave. The instructions for making these were written up and posted on the Angel Eden Blog. Because the original sacks had been used in the garden they had to be washed but this is not always necessary. Continue reading Up-Cycling and Mending

Sustainable Luxury, Social Entrepreneurship

I have just finished reading an interesting book, ‘Sustainable Luxury and Social Entrepreneurship, stories from the pioneers’.

It is a book written by entrepreneurs who have started businesses making beautiful things while at the same time thinking about their effect on our planet and the lives of the people who produce the items. Continue reading Sustainable Luxury, Social Entrepreneurship

An afternoon in Pachacuti, Ashbourne.

Last Wednesday I spent a couple of hours sitting in Pachacuti , a Fair Trade shop in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. I had not gone there to buy anything although I was very tempted. On a previous visit I had left with three hats, two tops and a pair of shoes! Here is a photo of the shop and you can see my little suitcase outside!

Pachacuti Shop in Ashbourne Derbyshire.

Continue reading An afternoon in Pachacuti, Ashbourne.