Nobody wants to see another token sustainability page waxing lyrical about how much a company or individual cares about what we are doing to our planet. I know. And I'm sure most reasonable humans do care, what we don't always do is understand how and why the systems and culture we are part of have come about, what underpins them, or what effects they have on the environment, ecosystems and other humans. We might not feel responsible because we often don't directly see the impacts if our country is one of those that has exported our waste problems offshore (read up on 'waste colonialism') or realise that the resources and labour for the items we buy might have come from exploitation of another place and population. It might feel safer not to look, or we can feel small and powerless to do much about it even when we find out.

I'm not an expert, but I have made this page because these systems and impacts are very relevant to any discussion of the industries of apparel and textiles and the general 'making of things'.

Most of us in the world today are so disconnected from where and how things are made, how many hands contributed, the skills, knowledge and resources that were required (and possibly exploited), how far things have been transported, what stuff is actually made of, or where it all goes when we 'dispose of' or donate things we no longer want.

As a maker, my knowledge and understanding of some of the impacts of the way we make and acquire (clothing and textiles especially) has grown over time, and has made it difficult for me to know how I wish to engage, and to what extent, with the world of design, production and 'consumption'.

There's a lot to dislike about the fashion industry and the way it operates, exploits, excludes, and pressures, but I love making clothing and textile items of enduring quality and design, and the work of other makers too. I don't wish to make a living by perpetuating a culture of mass production and consumption, but I love creativity and self-expression especially through fibre arts and hand-made clothing. I love textiles but generally not the ones unnecessarily made of oil products (yuck) and unfortunately, the visibility of a textile's provenance is typically very poor, and in any case, even natural fibres might have come from environmentally irresponsible sources and/or unethical production practises. The waters are currently pretty murky even when you try to make good choices.

Sustainability and ethics are such nuanced topics, and there is a huge amount of historical, societal, cultural, economic (etc) context to be taken into account in any such discussion and I am constantly learning more. Education is a huge component of us improving our ways; "when we know better we do better"; so what I would like to do here is share some of the things I have learned, and provide links to some resources and organisations I know of that already do an amazing job of sharing information and expertise in these areas.

One I'd especially like to give a shout out to is the excellent podcast The Wardrobe Crisis by Clare Press. It's informative, entertaining and inspiring and I highly recommend listening!

The things we make can tell a story, and stories create human connection and emotion; so can leave an impression and provoke thought and discussion.

I enjoy this aspect of some of the things I make, and this site gives me a place to talk about the stories connected to my projects and what I learn. It might be stories about resources, the value of artisanal skills in making, the way we choose, use and enjoy things we have and what consideration we should give to 'end of life' of those things.

I have found that when I learn about the dire effects of our current systems and habits, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness. We might feel we don't know how to do better, or it seems so difficult; and ironically despite the pleasure, abundance and convenience of the items we access to, most of us are so burned out just trying to get by in a very fast moving and productivity-driven culture that the 'cheap and disposable' convenience train can feel like one you can't get off.

I'm still learning and thinking about all of this a lot. I'm trying to connect with what power I do have to improve and make some positive impact (not just reducing the negative).

I'd love to offer and encourage some ways we can take small positive steps. Even small actions like learning to sew on a button or do simple repairs to our garments are valuable in prolonging our use of things, and respecting the value of that which is already made.

On this site I intend to share some skills and try to clarify some aspects of textiles and apparel production and lifecycle that can be confusing or not widely known, which might help us all to make informed and empowered choices about what we buy and use.

Please get in touch if you have any questions about what I write about, I will do my best to help.

The power of storytelling...