Reducing “fashion miles” – the distance a garment and its component parts travel through the supply chain – is also on the sewists’ agenda. The starting point for the newly opened Mend Assembly in Totnes, Devon – a two‑storey centre offering a makers’ space, dressmaking workshops, repairs and upcycling – was “clothing localism”, says its co-founder, Joss Whipple. For d’Angelo, a self‑confessed “mile-a-minute person”, sewing is “the only way I can slow down and give my body a space to chill”. Morrow, who has made half of the clothing she owns, says: “It feels so empowering to have crafted from scratch an extension of who you are.” For Azmi, it is about the morale boost that comes with perfecting the fit. “I’m 5ft 2in [1.57 metres], so usually clothes are too long or the shoulders are not right. Now I can tailor them exactly as I want them, or match them to a hijab, or make longer sleeves. I feel more confident when something fits well.”

Caroline : True. Okay. You can also compost some fabric, so all natural fibers can technically be composted. Now I’m talking natural fibers like silk, cotton, linen, hemp, not, uh, cellulose fibers like, you know, rayon or bamboo or EcoVero or those kinds of things. So you want to go really natural with the fibers. Just watch out for certain dyes because sometimes the dyes can’t go into the compost. So if you’re thinking of composting a fabric, you want to do a little bit of research on, like, what the limitations are in your area, in terms of composting, and what kinds of things maybe are in that garment or that textile that might limit you from composting it. But it is possible for some fabrics. Zero waste is a term which has slowly percolated through the sewing community in the last few years, but it’s been around for as long as clothes themselves, with bog coats and authentic Japanese Kimonos possibly being the most common examples. Fabric was once a precious commodity and both utilitarian and luxurious garments were made with minimal waste, using squares and rectangles. Many of the modern zero waste patterns for home sewists utilise this same technique and it works well. However, once people desire more shape and therefore curves, zero waste becomes problematic and requires more creativity and lateral thinking. Hernest’s zero waste clothes are made by a family-owned and female-run operation in Portugal (SM Senra) and the accessories are made by a social enterprise in Canada (The Cutting Edge). of the material they use is repurposed from fabric waste and they create 0% fabric waste themselves thanks to their “ReRoll” technique that stashes fabric scraps until they find a reuse.

I’m not decrying ‘zero waste’ as a promotional tool for wiser fabric choices, better pattern design and more awareness of the issue of fast fashion and landfill. I think as Sewers we should be aware of all of this and more. We should be reusing our failed attempts, repurposing our older clothes and generally not buying so much. Fabric, just as much as fast fashion, is a terrible lure….I know it’s effects. This process can vary by garment type. With womenswear he sometimes begins with the fabric itself and lets it guide his process, much as Vionnet listened to the grain of the fabric nearly 100 years ago. However, he finds that menswear tends to be more pattern-driven. The MLS pajamas, for example, were largely designed by folding many sheets of paper, as a letter-sized sheet was very close in proportion to the two old sheets that he used for the final garment. Berlin-based Anekdot turns high-quality waste fabrics into beautiful lingerie, loungewear, and swimwear.

There’s normally excess fabric in the manufacture of any garment, but the problem extends far beyond the cutting room. With colorful patchwork sweatshirts like the mixed print ‘all-over reroll’ sweatshirt and bottoms to match, you’ll find plenty of fun pieces to freshen up your zero waste wardrobe.They start with the original, vintage garments and take them apart to mix and match certain portions, making one-of-a-kind pieces. At its heart, it's an oxymoron. You can't produce new things and ever be "zero waste". But just like the zero waste movement as a whole, it's more about the spirit of attempting harm reduction toward the planet than anything else.