Sustainability
Back in 2013 I embarked on a mission to create reusable cloth nappies for my son, after joining the online cloth nappy community I quickly discovered that other people liked what I was creating and wanted to buy them from me. What was never intended to be a business turned into one. Along with reusable nappies I also sold cloth sanitary products, baby wipes, wet bags and make up wipes. Clothing followed soon after this as there was demand for this and I was soon making a whole range of apparel.
In 2016 I started my degree in Fashion and Textiles and learned a great deal about the fashion industry. What struck me the most was the huge amount of waste and pollution caused by the production of clothing and textiles. I wrote my dissertation on this very subject and my final collection was made from repurposed denim. I found that sustainable fashion was where I wanted to go.
After graduating I went straight back to my bussiness but I found a lot had changed in the three year break I had taken. The reusable products I had previously loved to make were lost in an oversaturated market full of mass produced cheap copies from overseas. It was very sad to see and something I couldn't compete with. I stuck with it but the whole time I felt like I was going nowhere. In 2020 I started Albert Postlethwait Reworked and created a range of accessories from repurposed fabrics. I ran this alongside my main business being too scared to take this full time.
I spent a few years switching between what I was making on a daily basis. I really loved making children's clothing but the whole time I felt like I was still contributing to the ever increasing mass of textile production. I also had the realisation that what I was making was no longer unique. 10 years ago when I started my business, the bright colourful fabrics I used were mainly imported from Europe, and there were far fewer small businesses making similar things. The change to using only repurposed fabrics has been a long time coming and seemed the most natural direction for me to go in. Now everything I make is from fabric that I have repurposed from something else, bought second hand or deadstock.
All of the fabrics I source are either repurposed, second hand or deadstock. This means I am using textiles that are old, discarded or unwanted. By not ordering new I am not creating the demand for textile production. I frequenly use curtains, duvets, bedspreads and table cloths. I do have a lot of jersey left over that was bought new and I will slowly work through this.
I don't waste fabric. From the larger garments I create, I make smaller items from the left over fabric. Anything too small for make up wipes gets stuffed into floor cushions and poufs. Nothing gets thrown away.
The entire shop is kitted out with second hand furniture and shop fittings. It's not the most put together shop and nothing matches but it's all functional. The shop used to be a school uniform shop so I have reused some leftover slatwall, cube storage and an ancient ironing board found in a cupboard. Charity shops were a great help with finding shelves, mirrors, hooks and display stands. I have an ancient second hand till, a 15 year old printer and 10 year old macbook for all my admin needs. I love every inch of the space I have created and I'm very proud of it.
In a bid to reduce my carbon footprint as much as I can, here are a few other things.
- All packaging is recyclable. This includes boxes, tissue paper, paper tape and brown paper bags in the shop
- I make my own packaging in the shop where I can. My own swing tags, belly bands and hang tags
- I have a small thermal printer I use to make my own labels
- I have LED panels and bulbs installed in the shop which use less energy
- Any paperwork is shreded and used as packing in the guitar shop next door
- I use a lazer printer with each cartridge lasting around 2 years which can then be refilled or recycled
