The birth of Née by Lisa

Throughout my lifetime (early 70s baby), I've witnessed a growing and essential emphasis on environmental issues and recycling. Today, we're urged more than ever to recycle, with various colored bins provided at home in the UK and specialized recycling stations at council or supermarket locations. There are numerous opportunities to recycle unused textiles via charity collection points and retail outlets, but I hadn't, until recently, asked what happens to the unwanted clothing that's donated. How are these clothes recycled?

Charities and retail outlets will understandably choose the garments they can sell, and the remaining donations are then discarded, recylced by specialist outlets or sold in second-hand textile markets. The second-hand textile trade is widespread across African nations (like Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, and Uganda), with consumers in Africa favouring thrifted clothes over the more costly, locally made garments. However the quality of these second-hand items has been decreasing, leading to more of them ending up in landfill sites.

In 2021, approximately 458 million of the 900 million used clothing items imported to Kenya were deemed worthless due to a decline in quality, and unusable. Additionally, many 'fast fashion' brands send their unsold stock to these countries, presenting them as affordable trade options. However, a significant portion is discarded because they are unsuitable, and many countries lack the infrastructure to then recycle such waste effectively.

“Overproduction leads to overconsumption and breeds a throwaway culture”, Greenpeace. 

The excessive production and consumption of textiles and clothing, along with the disposal of fast fashion waste, lead to several consequences: land pollution from animal grazing, water pollution from chemicals and dyes, harm to wildlife, overuse of water resources in material manufacturing, and plastic pollution from the extensive use of synthetic fibers.

With the impact of the fashion industry so evident, there must be something we can all do to help regain control - whether it's through reducing our own consumption, shopping sustainably from companies who are trying to reduce textile production, buying biodegradable materials rather than plastics, mending our clothes or repurposing, rather than clearing the clutter.

I realised that I had been repurposing and mending to a smaller extent myself since childhood, when my Mum taught me to sew. Being a non-standard shape I have always had to adjust clothes to fit, which has led to repairing favourite items and a love of upcycling beautiful materials, rather than throwing it away. If I can share this with others then maybe we can begin to shrink the growing mountain of waste - one decision at a time.

We already have enough clothing in circulation to dress the next five or six generations. Yet today, we buy five times more garments each year than we did in the 1980s. Back then, I made most of my own clothes, saving my money for shoes or accessories I truly valued. I remember spending my first wage at fifteen on a tartan Miss Selfridge umberella - it broke not long after.

The seeds of today’s overconsumption were sown long ago, but we can change. There are multiple companies trying to help us with that change, large and small, all through different methods and at Née by Lisa I will share these with you, along with tips on making alterations, how dressmaking can transform our wardrobes and enhance what we wear, and offer a small collection of unique garments made from discarded materials.

Née by Lisa (born as Knee and by Lisa) - slow handmade fashion to reduce textile waste, cherish textile memories and love the world we live in.