Eco-friendly cleaning brand method recently joined forces with celebrities such as Millie Mackintosh, Jasmine Hemsley and influencer Tanya Burr to tackle the UK's fast fashion habits, opening up the method slow fashion store and donating their own pre-loved clothes to allow them a new lease of life.

We'd all love a wardrobe like this one!

We'd all love a wardrobe like this one!

Speaking about the project, Tanya said: "I try and be more sustainable with my fashion choices by opting for clothes made from natural materials. Items that I once loved, I try to rework them into new outfits or try them with different looks to find new ways to make them work. I also get my clothes altered and repaired to ensure they last a long time."

Founder of Sewn Right, Charlotte Sweet also hopes to educate consumers on how they can revamp their wardrobe before the end of the year, in a bid to reduce our individual carbon footprints!

Here are her top 5 ways to easily customise your wardrobe at home:

  1. If you have a big needle and some wool at home then you can jazz up an old jumper or t shirt by cross stitching your name, a symbol, or a slogan across the chest, hem, back of the neck or around the cuffs.
  2. You can easily change up a look with a pair of scissors. If you have a skirt or dress that’s too long, you can cut the hem. Make sure to try it on before cutting to check where you want it shortened - get somebody to help you as once it’s cut there is no going back! You can use Bondaweb to iron the hem upwards - giving it a clean finished edge or you can leave it with a raw edge for a more distressed look.
  3. Customise an old pair of Converse by doodling with a Sharpie. You can also doodle on your laces, just make sure that you let them dry!
  4. Patches are fun and easy to iron or sew on. You can make a plain garment far more interesting with a few patches so don’t throw away that old jacket! If you think you’re terrible at sewing, use a thick contrasting colour thread and cross stitch the patch. This will make the stitching look intentionally loud and add character.
  5. You can use fabric paint to personalise your denim or leather jackets or bag. Make sure you sketch a test on paper first before painting on the real item, take your time and get creative.

3 things to avoid with customisation:

  1. Make sure to always test a technique before doing it on the real thing. Even something as simple as ironing a patch on, check the heat of the iron first and follow the instruction to ensure you don’t burn your item.
  2. Don’t use blunt scissors, it will chew the fabric up - unless that’s the look you’re going for!
  3. Don’t rush, take your time and if it needs to dry then leave it somewhere warm where it can’t drip.

5 easy ways to customise/change a top:

  1. Cut off the sleeves or shorten them to 3⁄4 or cap sleeves.
  2. If your top has straps then you can cut these off and replace with a pearl necklace or ribbon.
  3. For an oversized top that you want to be more flattering, you can add some elastic on the inside around the waist. This will keep the fabric but emphasis your waist underneath.
  4. For an off shoulder look, you can easily cut off the neckline - make sure to try this on before cutting to ensure that you don’t cut off too much!
  5. Last but not least... you can pop into our studio and we can customise your top by adding embroidery, monogramming, pom poms or embellishment!

method is working with Clothes Aid, on the method slow fashion store, which opens to the public 16th-17th October. The store, billed as an antidote to fast fashion, offers customers the chance to buy second-hand clothes gifted by influencers and celebrities such as Millie Mackintosh and Jasmine Hemsley, donate unwanted items, and customise unloved outfits to give them a new lease of life.

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