Collingwood-Norris

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Inspiring and Informative Reading

When I was deciding what content to include in my book “Visible creative mending for knitwear”, I decided not to go into in depth details of the fashion industry, textile waste and climate change. They are all really important topics that I care deeply about, but they have already been well covered. So, I decided I would post a list of further reading/ watching/ listening inspiration instead, so that if you’re interested in finding out more about fashion sustainability or any more any or all of these topics, you can.

There are really inspiring groups making changes, working to protect nature, building their communities etc, and I think finding sources of inspiration is a much better way to feel energised to make a different and fight for change than reading about all the depressing, scary climate stuff.

 

Mending might be cheaper than buying new (although not when it comes to your time!), but it ultimately means you appreciate what you have more, you reduce consumption and use up fewer resources. I can help you with mending your knitwear, but we all need to be thinking about keeping everything we own for longer. Look for repair cafes for example, or maybe start your own?


All of this (mending, reducing our textile waste and consumption) comes down to trying to reduce our personal environmental impact. Climate change is happening right now, so the more changes we can make, the better! I get overwhelmed by reading about the climate and our impact on it quite quickly, as it can feel like my individual actions are too small and don’t really make a difference. But when we do them in a group, discuss them with our friends, and share positive actions we can take, we CAN make a difference. By focussing on what I can do, and the positive changes I can make, I find it easier to deal with, and it gives me hope. So, if you need a bit of hope too, these are sustainable fashion books and sustainable living resources I have found informative and useful.

Get involved, take action!

I thought I would put these first, as feeling inspired always helps and motivates me.

Small Steps to Less Waste by Claudi Williams- a book I’ve recently found really inspiring, with lots of tips. I know I’m going to keep referring back to it again and again.

Claudi Williams plastic free blog – this has lots of useful resources, suggestions and information.

Make Do And Mend, reproductions of official second world war instruction leaflets, with foreword by Jill Norman. I love this book. It has lots of repair tips, tips to make things last longer.

If you would like to get involved in demanding change from bigger organisations and government, try these:

Extinction Rebellion

Greenpeace

Friends of the Earth

350.org

Find local businesses that can help you! For example, in the Scottish Borders, The General Store in Selkirk offer repairs (for most things if you can carry them in I think), and Weigh Greener in Lauder is a plastic free shop, where you can get refills of cleaning products and shampoos among other things.

And of course, my book ‘Visible creative mending for knitwear’ is designed to help you with the skills you might need for caring for your knitwear. It has clear step-by-step instructions with accompanying images and aims to inspire you too!

Further reading inspiration/ information:

To Die For, by Lucy Seigle. This isn’t a new book, but when I read it years ago it had a big impact on me, and I’ve made several decisions relating to my business because of it.

Loved Clothes Last by Osola de Castro. This isn’t really a how-to book, but it gives a great overview, and has some really wonderful tips in it. I really enjoyed it, and I will be implementing some of the ideas in it, which I thought were great.

Slave to Fashion by Safia Minney

True Cost: The Movie

Common Threads podcast https://www.commonthreadspodcast.com/listen.html

Cradle to Cradle by Michael Braungart and William McDonough- I loved this book, and found it really inspiring.

This Changes Everything by Naomi Klien

Rivercide Documentary https://rivercide.tv/- although this is slightly terrifying in terms of the state of English rivers, it does have 5 actions they demand from government, and 5 actions you can take. I also found it inspiring how citizens are taking actions to monitor and protect their rivers, so overall very worth watching.

Other organisation I find inspiring:

Fashion revolution- an inspiring campaign for changing the fashion industry, demanding transparency.

Campaign for Wool – championing the use of wool, as a renewable, natural and biodegradable fibre that has multiple uses, but is often overlooked.

Edit: I’ve just discovered Rob Hopkins blog “From what if to what next” and it’s great! I’m only a couple of episodes in, and I love it- there’s quite a wide range of topics, but they all imagine a better world. It’s inspiring.

Do please add your own sustainable fashion and sustainable living recommendations in the comments- articles, books, podcasts, anything you find inspiring around these topics that might help others.