Friday 11 September, 2-8 p.m.: Festival, Out of Fashion: Circular & Craft with Safia Minney and Selvedge

Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL, United Kingdom

Workshops: 2-6 p.m.
Talk: 6.30-8 p.m.

Safia Minney, MBE, FRSA is a British social entrepreneur and author, best known for founding People Tree, a pioneer in Fair Trade and sustainable fashion. She developed the first organic and Fair Trade clothing supply chain, significantly impacting the lives of thousands of marginalised people. Minney is recognised as a thought leader in sustainable fashion, anti-modern slavery, and Fair Trade, and is a World Economic Forum Outstanding Social Entrepreneur. 

Event Description
Out of Fashion: Circular & Craft brings together makers, menders, and advocates to explore what happens to clothing after its first life. Hosted by Safia Minney in collaboration with Selvedge Magazine, the event combines premium hands-on afternoon workshops with an evening programme of panel discussions for a wider public audience. The afternoon workshops give participants the time and guidance to learn a practical skill from an expert host, while the evening talks open up the conversation around slow fashion, repair culture, and the future of the industry. Together, the day celebrates craft as both a personal practice and a political act.

Workshop hosts include Skye Pennant of Slow Stitch Club, whose creative and gentle approach to visible mending empowers participants to slow down, get creative, and help reduce the amount of textile waste sent to landfill. Pennant is also the author of Well Worn, a comprehensive guide to visible mending techniques. Graham Hollick is a textile artist and founder of the ethical home textiles brand Stitch by Stitch, which works with artisans in India and Nepal. A graduate of Winchester School of Art, he took up the age-old craft of rug hooking during the first Covid lockdown, creating all his pieces entirely from reused materials — strips of used clothing hooked through repurposed coffee sacks. His work has been featured in Selvedge magazine and exhibited internationally. Catherine Harris is a textile conservator whose work sits at the intersection of material culture, heritage, and hands-on care. Alongside her conservation practice, she has long been part of the Selvedge team, helping shape its workshops and events programme. Sujaya Mahesh is the founder of Sameeksha School of Embroidery in Bangalore with over two decades of teaching experience across more than 25 embroidery traditions including aari, chikankari, and kantha. DOLLY Clothing, founded by Diana in Lewes, East Sussex, is a dedicated advocate for sustainable fashion whose events and campaigns explore why our clothes are costing the earth — and what each of us can do to be the change. DOLLY will host the curated clothes swap, joined by Indilisi pop-up.
 
Through hands-on workshop sessions and thought-provoking panel discussions (speakers to be confirmed), Out of Fashion explores themes including repair as activism, the joy of making and mending, caring for the clothes we own, and what a truly circular wardrobe might look like.

Speakers for the evening panel discussions include:

Dr Safia Minney MBE (Founder, Indilisi & Fashion Declares), Polly Leonard (Founder & Editor, Selvedge Magazine), Gemma Metheringham (Circular Fashion Advocate), Amelia Twine (Sustainable Fashion Week) and Niki de Schryver (Founder, COSH.eco).

Please note, to buy a ticket for the evening panel discussions only, you will be able to do so through the Conway Hall website in July. Tickets and further information will be announced soon.

Event Cancellation Policy
All bookings are non-refundable. However, if you let us know that you are unable to attend an event you have booked at least two weeks before the event, we will open up your place. If we find another participant, you will be offered a credit note.

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