Hi Reader,

Yeah! This week, it's Sustainable Fashion Week, Chicago and here at Motif we're VERY excited!
​Why? ​
Only because one of our fabulous Kind Fabric Course alumni, Angela Aeschliman is a finalist for FGI, Chicago's 11th annual Rising Star Award ... that's why!

With these awards Fashion Group International, Chicago recognises ... those who shape the industry, not just follow it. Exactly what Angela is doing! In using materials from our range of recycled fabrics, she's highlighting one of the biggest challenges facing fashion: the enormous amount of waste created by the way we make, sell, consume, and dispose of clothing.

Waste not, want not.

This old truism stands the the test of time. A garment factory cuts a fast-fashion pattern from fabric, and there are pieces left over. Multiply those scraps by thousands of garments, and suddenly it's a huge amount of perfectly good textile fibre that has become 'waste.'

But what if it didn't have to be waste? Enter the source of our recycled yarns Cyclo Recycled Fibers.​

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Just one of the many things I love about Cyclo's recycled yarns is that their story begins with these discarded scraps. Garment-factory waste is collected and processed into new yarn, with zero water, zero new dyes, and then woven, with near zero carbon, into beautiful new fabric ... by hand! And, by the way, is 100% fair trade.🤪

What a transformation - it's practically alchemy far as I'm concerned!

Angela, and many others, testify to how inspiring - and soul-satisfying - it is to work with such a transparent process.What peace of mind to know where even your yarn comes from, let alone who's actually weaving your fabric. She says it makes designing all the more satisfying ... and fun! 🙌

World Clean Up Day

This ties in perfectly with World Clean Up Day this week. A movement that began back in 2008, when 50,000 Estonians cleared their entire country in one day! It makes the case for circularity in our design thinking mission critical. We rightly spend lots of energy thinking about how to deal with the waste we've created, let's also question how we design and make things with less waste in the first place.

Of course this also means valuing what already exists. With a 'clean-up' mindset comes the mantra, repair and reuse. Another of our alumni, Glean & Grace, includes fabric scraps with each garment. Right on hand for that annoying hole you can't find the right patch for!

At Motif, the word 'waste' is the beginning of a very different story, rethinking the way we make - and why? What's your story with 'waste' - I'd love to hear it.

Here's to making things, all things, better together,