Frome will join cities and communities across the UK and internationally for Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) 2025 from Saturday 27th September to Sunday 5th October.
A full programme of events will be taking place across the town including a Make and Mend Day on Saturday 27th September, a classic clothes swap on the Saturday evening, and a Preloved and Vintage Fair on Sunday 28th.
Everyone Needs Pockets Textile Network will be hosting the ‘SFW Hub’ for a third year running, supported by Edventure and Green and Healthy Frome.
“This year’s theme is Fashion Reclaimed, celebrating the power of reclaiming your style, your wardrobe and your impact on the planet,” said Claire Orpin, Everyone Needs Pockets Co-ordinator.
“In the UK alone, around 300,000 tonnes of textile waste ends up in household black bins every year, sent to landfill or incinerators.
“So now’s your chance to get involved and be inspired – buy secondhand, celebrate style and repair your clothes.
“There’s a brilliant programme of events taking place across the town including a Make and Mend Day on Saturday 27th September at Frome Town Hall, full of sustainable fashion activities for all ages.
“Sanne Visser brings her incredible rope-making machine which recycles scrap fabric into rope, and there will be mending advice, weaving on a giant loom, darning, swaps and socialising through the day.”
The accompanying bookable workshops include Kids Scrap Studio with Claire and Tamara, Visible Mending for kids with Slow Stitch Club and an Embroidery Insect workshop with Cathy Plummer. Everyone Needs Pockets volunteers are running a How To Mend Your Clothes session and there’s an upcycling workshop with Anna Fraenkel.
The Make and Mend day is free, with the cost of bookable workshops on a sliding scale with some free places available thanks to Lottery funding.
“Come along on 27th September (Saturday evening) and get something new to you at Frome Wardrobe Collective’s classic clothes swap from 7pm to 9pm at the Town Hall, or shop on Sunday at Retold Fashion’s Preloved and Vintage Fair,” added Claire.
“Slow Stitch Club will be hosting two workshops examining the techniques of sashiko and a darning workshop on Sunday 28th September. Finally to round out the programme, Sewing the Seeds Frome will host a Flax and Nettle Fair on Sunday 5th October from 3pm to 6pm at Rodden Meadow.
“Why not use Sustainable Fashion Week to learn about the issues and what we can do to change? The global fashion industry has a massive environmental impact, using energy, water and creating microplastic pollution and landfill sites visible from space.
“Bring those valuable clothes that are broken, or you no longer need, along to Sustainable Fashion Week this year and learn how to mend or rework them, re-love them with some upcycling or swap and shop for something new to you.”
Becky Lovegrove. Project Manager at Green and Healthy Frome, added, “The programme looks amazing, especially with the addition of activities for kids! Past participants (myself included) have loved these events. Time and time again, people tell us how empowering it feels to repair and upcycle textiles, especially when we come together to share and create. And of course there’s the feel-good factor of walking away with a unique piece of clothing, while knowing that you’re reducing harm to both people and planet.”
Everyone Needs Pockets works with Green and Healthy Frome to organise these activities, supported by the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund.
For the full programme and tickets, visit https://www.sustainablefashionweek.uk/frome or www.everyoneneedspockets.org
