Edit Her loves…

RETURE

There’s been a huge shift towards sustainable fashion in recent times, with consumers looking to shop more consciously and with the environment in mind. Shopping upcycled fashion is one way we can all play our part. Enter: RETURE, an online platform making the choice to upcycle easier than ever. Designers who want to sell or repurpose upcycled fashion can upload their pieces onto the RETURE website, showing off their craft and creativity while doing something good for the planet. The platform invites customers to connect with sustainable designers to turn their unused clothing into bespoke, one-of-a-kind creations. They simply have to pick a designer, send their old garment off in the post and wait for their transformed item to be returned. A real changemaker, if you ask us.

Discover here.

Unilever Prestige Grant Initiative

Our devices became our reliable companions last year, helping us stay connected while socialising in person was put on halt. But these difficult times have also thrown into sharp relief the importance of human touch. In business, face-to-face interactions are vital to customer experience, even with all the technology available, so it only makes sense that we invest in products that can help us bridge that digital divide. Unilever and WWD have launched a new grant initiative to help support the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs looking to do just that.

The initiative, called Project Connect, aims to fund projects or services that can demonstrate a connection between human touch and virtual communication. Mentorship, opportunities to help scale business ideas, and exposure to new industries and audiences are all on offer. In order to be considered, applicants should show that they want to use their idea to make a positive social impact and transform the industry for the better.

Applications close on 30 April 2021 and will be reviewed by a full panel of industry experts, including Amanda Smith, President of Fairchild Media Group, and Vasiliki Petrou, Executive Vice President of Unilever Prestige.

Apply here.

The Ethical Fashion Podcast

The Ethical Fashion Podcast, dedicated solely to Africa and now in its second season, features the voices of African creatives and leaders, from designers to entrepreneurs. Hosts Simone Cipriani and Clare Press are joined by Virgil Abloh, founder and CEO of Off-White and artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, for the latest episode (11), called Fashion, Art, and Mentoring by Existence. Tune in to hear Abloh discuss diversity and inclusion; it’s a thrilling insight into one of the most exciting fashion minds of today.

Listen here.

British Fashion Council fabric donations

A slew of pioneering brands donated deadstock and unwanted fabric to students across the UK this week in a collective community action powered by the Student Fabric Initiative. The move is part of the British Fashion Council’s bid to reduce waste across the industry and support students completing their BA Fashion degrees.

Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, said in a statement: “We are delighted to work with some fantastic brands to meaningfully support the pipeline of creative talent here in the UK with the support of our incredible colleges network.

“One of the British Fashion Council‘s priorities is to encourage the industry to move towards a circular fashion economy while supporting excellence in fashion design. Being able to help students in need while managing to offset waste is an important example of the power of industry-wide collaboration.”

Fashion United reports that brands donating fabrics include Paul Smith, Charlotte Knowles, Victoria Beckham and Sunspel, amongst a bigger group of luxury brands. In addition, Burberry helped facilitate the delivery of the material to 33 colleges in total.

Fashion journalist Charlie Porter, who is one of the project’s biggest supporters, added: “It’s incredible to see the fashion community come together to help students across the country by donating fabrics. This collective action is in response to the pandemic but will hopefully become a model for how designers and brands can give back in the years ahead, placing sustainability at the heart of UK fashion education.”