Street Stitching Gentle Protest
Stitch it Don’t Ditch it: A Joyful Rebellion.
In high streets across the UK and around the world, people started a movement were they form lines of chairs along the centre of their high streets and big fashion stores to sit and mend. Each Street Stitcher has a hand made chair-banner with the hashtag #StitchItDontDitchIt encouraging consumers to think before they buy as well as encouraging mending over buying new.
Street Stitching is an act of gentle disruption that demonstrates the pleasure and necessity of garment repair in areas of fast fashion chains where consumers are already thinking about replacing or adding to their wardrobe. This is not a protest. It is an encouragement.
As we continue to educate ourselves and our students on COP26 and the urgency to take an act about the climate crisis, Stitch it Don’t Ditch it is a baby step towards a bigger goal. Did you know that after oil, the fashion industry is the larger polluter in the world?
Our Sustainability Ambassadors are demonstrating their skills by encouraging others to think about their fashion consumption. Our students took this joyful rebellion into action. On Friday, 29th of October, 2021 at Brunswick Shopping Center, they stacked their chairs in front of one another and started stitching. They wanted to inspire others and show how they can put words into action themselves. They also asked shoppers to take part in our questionnaire, from the questionnaire we found out 25% of shoppers said the came to shop for nothing specific. That means potentially 25% of what was bought that day in the centre was a spontaneous purchase with no specific reason behind the purchase.
When asked has the Street Stitching gentle protest made you think about your fashion consumption? 99% said Yes and included comments:
‘Yes, I want to go home and mend my jeans!’
‘It has, I will be buying a sewing kit!’
‘I think it is very inspiring that you have come out to spread this good message . Keep it up!’
‘I think it’s good to bring attention to how much of a throwaway culture we live in.’
Additionally our students were interviewed by Sky Kid News. We are so proud of them and all of our LHD Sustainability Ambassadors using their skills and voices to raise awareness of the impact fashion has on the earth and demonstrating we can all do something to fight against the climate crisis, no matter your age. Here’s a link to watch the interview and what they had to say:
Sky Kids News -FYI News Report
We would like to say a big Thank You to Suzi Warren who started the Street Stitching movement and for joining and inspiring the group!
