Waste not want not

While many people associate this quote with wasting food, for me, naturally,
I associate it with the production of my clothes and specifically the fabric that I use.

The amount of waste and pollution that the fashion industry is responsible for is both astounding and upsetting. There are many many great sources that highlight the perils and impacts of fast fashion, and many many great blogs are people who do far more constructive and more meaningful work in this field than I do. But, as part of my recent commitment to doing more and sharing more about my work and speaking my truth,
I wanted to provide an insight into this quote, what it means to me, and how I am doing my part to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

So, I won't just talk about being sustainable, and recycling, and re-using. I will show you how I do it. And how in working with the artisans and through all the blood, sweat, and tears (mostly mine)  - that goes into making a truly sustainable artisanal line.

For a long time I have been working to use my fabric offcuts in a cute and clever way to not only minimise waste, but to also add some human touches of love to each and every single piece I make. Ever wondered how designers (like me) can recycle their fabric offcuts into cute buttons and details? Just follow my step by step guide below!

Step 1 - Cut the custom-made fabric into the perfect shape / size to be hand made into a finished garment, keep the waste fabic off cuts as small as possible
Step 2 - Collect all of the extra fabric and waste off cuts - they can even be
different in color!
Step 3 - Use any larger fabric off cuts you might have that cannot be used, and cut them into small squares
Step 4 - Wrap the fabric off cuts into a tiny ball
Step 5 - Mould the ball, within the fabric square, into a round ball shape that can fit through a button hole
Step 6 - Tie the ball tightly to make into a usable button shape
Step 7 - Seal the ball into a finished button
Step 8 - Stitch on to garment
Step 9 - Perfection!

Oh - and don't forget you can also make any more fabric off cuts you have into lovely little tags to attach to your hangtags

Because it's (always) all about the details.