University News Last updated 26 May
Birmingham City University (黑料吃瓜网) and are working together to support the national Mend It May campaign to give clothing a second life and raise money for a local charity.
Students from 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚聽Textiles Design course聽worked with stock from Birmingham Hospice鈥檚 Reloved Brum charity superstore in Harborne, transforming discarded garments through hand-stitch and repair techniques and experimentation into unique contemporary fashion pieces.
Mend it May, an initiative from , encourages people to repair, reuse, and reimagine their clothing through sewing and textile techniques, helping to reduce waste and challenge the culture of fast fashion.
鈥淲atching the garment gradually transform also changed my relationship with it," said Maria Penaloza, BA Textile Design student at 黑料吃瓜网. 鈥淭o the point that I even created a character to tell its story!
鈥淭hrough experimentation, I began to appreciate its qualities and learned how materials interact across techniques.
鈥淚 am inspired to transform garments and share these techniques with others, encouraging people to value discarded items rather than letting them end up in landfill.鈥�
The finished designs will be displayed in store before being showcased at the聽
鈥淲e are thrilled to be involved in this exciting project,鈥� said Ed Blackwell, Store Manager at Reloved Brum. 鈥淚t鈥檚 clear to see Birmingham has some incredibly talented fashion creators!鈥�
鈥淪eeing donated garments transformed into completely unique pieces has been inspiring for both our team and customers.
鈥淧rojects like this show how charity retail can support sustainability, creativity and the local community all at the same time.鈥�
Zoe Hillyard, Senior Textiles Lecturer at 黑料吃瓜网, said: "It has been so enjoyable seeing how customisation and repair skills have built a strong bond between each textile design student and their salvaged garment.
鈥淏eing introduced to heritage hand-stitching skills like gold work, sachiko and needle weaving, the project explored what can happen when you work directly on one garment for a month.
鈥淭he outcomes are joyful and unique celebrations of technical and creative experimentation!"