Fashion design students have raised more than £5,000 for the Salvation Army through a sustainable fashion challenge.
Students from the University of Southampton’s Winchester School of Art took part in the Future You, Future Fashion project, which saw them transform more than three tonnes of pre-loved clothes and household materials into new, high-fashion coats.
The clothes were originally donated to the charity’s clothing banks.
After featuring in several high-profile photoshoots with leading celebrity photographers, many of the garments have since been sold in the charity stores, raising more than £5,000 for the Salvation Army.
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Milly Toombes, a third-year fashion design student, has been a part of the project since its conception.
She said: "I think it’s amazing. It’s really affirming for us as fashion students as we usually make our clothes, submit them and then that’s it.
"This time, not only have we raised money for the Salvation Army, but you know that someone out there owns your garment – so you’ve made lots of people happy and that’s a great feeling."
Students were tasked to use old curtains and blankets but had to submit their designs before knowing what materials they’d receive.
Milly added: "It was a fun challenge; I have worked with used clothes before but never curtains.
"You really had to take a step back and forget it was already a finished product by looking at it like just another square piece of fabric.
"I really had to sit there and work with what I had, but it’s probably my favourite garment I’ve made yet because of that."
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Sophia Malig, senior teaching fellow at Winchester School of Art, said: "It’s been a fantastic collaboration that’s helped our students to approach something in a new way.
"Many of them had never worked with unconventional materials such as curtains or blankets before, so it’s let test their own limits for how they create clothing.
"These clothes that the students have made are amazing, they’re unique – and they’ve all worked so incredibly hard to make the project what is has become."
As the largest charity-owned textiles collector in the UK, the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL) is the trading arm of the Salvation Army Charity, operating around 8,000 clothing banks and over 230 charity stores.
Each clothing bank holds up to 240 kilos of clothing, handbags and shoes.
By reusing and recycling these donated textiles, the charity greatly reduces the amount sent to disposal and gives items a new lease of life.
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