THE FUTURE'S GREEN

Image: Courtesy of Georgie Apps

Angy Young has lived a life in fashion. Previously a freelance costume designer, and a consultant for a London-based fashion brand, producing collections which were shown in London and New York Fashion Weeks, Angy has been Programme Leader for Fashion and Costume at Blackpool School of Arts since 2010. Her latest educational initiative is a one-year degree level programme in Fashion and
Costume with Sustainable Practice. 

Whilst undertaking the academic research necessary to support this new programme, Angy developed a collection of garments made entirely from repurposed materials, giving rise to the project CONVERT.

Image: Angy Young. CONVERT project. Photography Sally Sharpe and Jonathan Rowe.

Angy says, "I have always made clothes, it was a kind of compulsion when I was younger to work with fabric image and identity...I work mainly with second-hand garments, purchased from charity shops.
Many people simply don’t know how to care for these types of garments, and at the first sign of wear, or a tiny moth hole, they are simply discarded. I always want to save them and continue their journey. 
I repurpose them to create a range of unique, bespoke pieces which are designed to appeal to eco-conscious, stylish individuals. There has, in the past, been a lack of trend-led sustainable fashion, and I aim to develop wearable pieces that are innovative in both process and aesthetic.
I am focused on creating awareness on how to approach fashion in a sustainable manner. It worries me that children do not know the path that their clothes have taken to reach them, that we do not make them aware of this, encouraging them to place value on garments in terms of human and environmental input." 

 Image: Angy Young. CONVERT project. Photography Sally Sharpe and Jonathan Rowe.

More than conscious of environmental impact are the Green Grads, a group of like-minded design graduates engaging with eco issues through their ideas and innovative use of materials. One of their number is Georgie Apps, a graduate in Textiles (Innovation and Design), currently working as a Development Engineer. Her textiles, handwoven on two different types of loom, feature natural fibres and waste from previous work reimagined to create a variety of textures.

Image: Courtesy of Georgie Apps

"Showcasing organic, renewable cotton, linen and hemp,"she says, "reconnects people to the value and quality of plants." Using only natural dyes, her textiles are "circular, biodegradable and easily recycled."

Image: Courtesy of Georgie Apps

Both Green Grads and Angy Young's CONNECT project will feature at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, held in Victoria Baths, Manchester, UK from 13-16 October, 2022.