Bath Spa University and A Single Thread Launch Program to Promote Sustainable Fashion

Restitch the Future is focused on establishing a network of community-led high street hubs to enhance accessibility to sustainable fashion. Additionally, it will create a playbook for communities interested in launching their own local initiatives.

This program builds upon the recent Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW), which took place from September 26 to October 4 and featured more than 347 grassroots activities in 41 regional hubs. A Single Thread organized the event, which centered on the theme of ‘Threads of Resistance,’ motivating communities to address overconsumption through practices like repairing, rewearing, and repurposing clothing.

Restitch the Future will continue this momentum by hosting activities such as clothing swaps, repair workshops, upcycling opportunities, youth programs, and campaigns focusing on skills-sharing. The program plans to operate 32 community hubs each year, with plans to add five to eight additional hubs in underrepresented regions, including Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Utilizing SOMER, Bath’s community-based sustainable learning environment, the initiative will test various approaches, including year-round clothing swaps and repair cafés, which can later be adapted and shared with the broader network.

In conjunction with community efforts, Bath Spa University will conduct research into the obstacles that inhibit sustainable fashion engagement, such as affordability, access, representation, and skills. This research will aim to identify factors that encourage lasting changes in fashion consumption and make climate-conscious choices more inclusive and accessible.

The initiative aims to extend community activities demonstrated during SFW into a continuous year-round local infrastructure.

Amelia Twine, founder of A Single Thread CIC, stated that sustainable fashion is often viewed as “expensive, exclusive or unrealistic,” and emphasized that Restitch the Future will simplify the process of incorporating repair, reuse, and rethinking clothing into daily life. Tamara Parsons-Baker, head of Future Fashion Works at Bath Spa University, noted that the project exemplifies the potential for collaboration among universities, communities, and grassroots organizations to address climate change.