I thought you might like to know what happens to our clothes when we reach the end of a season and have pieces left over?
Well, to start with, many things just deserve to stay… Some of our styles have been part of our collection for many years, and if our customers still love them and continue to buy them, then we’ll keep making them. One of the things that makes me happiest is hearing from a customer who has had a favourite dress, shirt or pair of pyjamas and loves it so much that they come back again and again for many years, sometimes to buy the same one again… or perhaps in another colour.
This is especially true with our pyjamas, dressing gowns, wrap dresses and Gracie shirts.
When I’m at an event, it brings me great joy when someone comes back wearing a shirt or dress they bought in the past and tells me how much they love it and how many compliments they get while wearing it, and then buys another similar one. I hear from so many of you by email too, and it gives me such a boost.
This is exactly what we hope for when we design a piece, and it’s one of the great joys that keeps us going.
To be honest, the thought of producing a whole new collection every season is exhausting, and I can’t see how we could do it without creating a huge amount of waste.
If we do discontinue something, it first goes to our fabulous sale page, which is updated regularly and always worth a look.
We have a selection of them for sale at our studio in Hastings. I’m delighted if someone can pick up a bargain that they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford… if you’re ever down this way, please do come and have a look. My studio is part of a community of creatives of all kinds, many of whom are open on Saturdays, and you can pick up a coffee and a babka, buy vintage homeware, jewellery, mushrooms, art and much more. www.theyardhastings.co.uk
Finally, we donate any unsold items to charity, and I’m particularly proud that the amazing Royal Trinity Hospice has given us a certificate recognising how much we’ve helped them. Hospices and their work mean a lot to me personally.
Nothing we produce is ever wasted or thrown into landfill.
For me this is what slow fashion is all about – making beautiful clothes in small quantities, keeping the good pieces and giving every garment as long a life as possible.