Inspired by Sustainable Fashion week’s ‘The Re-wear Revolution’, the newly formed Bridport Fashion and textile network and friends collated a Bridport programme of events.

This began with Rebecca Weef-Smith’s talk, Wearing Wellbeing & Sustainable Fashion:good for you, good for the planet.

It was a fun night with the audience wearing the outfit that made them happy, whilst Rebecca linked this to key characters in her MA  dissertation and newly published book.

Bridport Fashion Revolution put on their 2^nd clothes swap and it was as successful as the last. Nearly 200 clothes swapped and many more released from wardrobes to have a new life somewhere else. Bridport Clothes bank benefited from those clothes not swapped.

Bridport Art’s centre had a double bill of sustainable fashion films. The first was The Nettle Dress, which was the story of grief, that resulted in a beautiful dress, and a reminder that making things can be cathartic as well as result in something truly loved.

The 2^nd part of the double bill was Fashion Reimagined a new 2023 film. I would highly recommend it as you follow the story of celebrated sustainable fashion designer Any Powney, develop her No Frills collection and how this manages to incorporate a list of requirements that should have been easier to fulfil than they are.

Bridport Fashion Revolution teamed up with Market stall favourite Style Vintage and St Michael’s Tina’s Retro Clothing to put on an amazing pre-loved and vintage sale at the United Church, with many other local traders.

The week finished with a workshop led by Dr Jocelyn Bailey where we looked at mapping out Bridport’s sustainable fashion and textile scene and what we needed to do to drive it forward and strengthen our circular local economy. This resulted in a the start of a plan to build on.

What it showed is the way forward with fashion and textiles is fun, love and creativity and here in Bridport we have that in spades.