Kathy Khol and Sally Lemsford redress fast fashion with their local upcycling project 'Stitch it Don't Ditch it' supported by a Creative Commissions award from the Adur & Worthing Trust.

In the age of fast fashion and a significant failure of efficient textile recycling, people need solutions and help to redress this creatively, individually and by collaborating with others. Using familiar activities to talk about difficult issues is a way to have meaningful conversations now, not in 2050.

Kathy Kohl and Sally Lemsford instigated regular Stitch it upcycling sessions at CREW in September 2023. RE-loved is an offshoot of that, involving new partnerships – working with local people, local charity shops and local charities. It is an innovative concept, helping local people of all ages and abilities to upcycle items of clothing, revamping them and adding style by re-structuring and embellishing their own or unsellable garments from local participating charity shops. It’s supporting creative development while addressing incredibly important environmental issues.

The project has developed throughout the year, moving to SHOUT WSK café hub in June 2024. It will culminate in January 2025 with an exhibition at Colonnade House RE-loved Worthing Style New Year Resolutions and will include ‘before’ images and the upcycled items.

As Sally Lemsford says ’It will highlight the problem and demonstrate the solution’.

By putting Adur and Worthing on the map in terms of Eco-creativity AND inspiring the other UK Climate Emergency Centres, CREW are showing that Adur and Worthing are at the creative forefront of making a difference to the climate emergency.