On the phone with: fxckfastfashion

Fuck Fast Fashion is a community dedicated to reducing the impact of textile waste. I had the opportunity to speak to Roxy, the owner of FFF and learn more about the business.

The idea first came to Roxy 4 years ago when she saw a sad plant in a skip and decided to give it a better home. However, as she examined the skip more she was shocked to see piles and piles of textile waste. This inspired Roxy to do some more research into where our clothes end up. She informed me that 80-90% of clothing donated to charity shops doesn’t even see the shop floor and gets shipped off the to the global south. Roxy’s research shed light on a new issue. Roxy highlighted the misconception that donating clothing to charity shops prevents it from ending up in the landfill. She explained how charity shops contribute to the issue of textile waste and exploit it to make money. This inspired Roxy to make a positive change and create a space where people can donate clothes with the confidence they won’t end in landfill.

FFF started when Roxy and her friends had the idea to host a clothing swap, while at university.

Since then, FFF have hosted many swap events and now have their own swap store in London, where they exclusively stock items that have been donated by the community. They don’t throw anything away - Roxy mentioned that they’ve had a tshirt in the store since they first opened in April 2022. FFF are planning on developing a system that allows upcycle designers to rework the items that haven’t sold, in order to prevent waste. Roxy says its important to distinguish designers that use sustainable materials from upcycle designers, as reviving clothing that already exists is the most effective way to reduce the issue of textile waste.

The store works on a pay as you feel basis or you can directly swap items. This means that anyone can enter the shop and leave with an item without spending a penny. Roxy explained how sustainable fashion has the ability to be seen as a luxury, as independent businesses often spend a lot of money on sustainable materials, not to mention their time. FFF allows sustainable shopping to be affordable for everyone.

since opening in apriL 2022, ffF have saved: 25.8 tOns of carbon, 11.62 milliOn litreS of water, 606 kilos of waste

During my chat with Roxy, we discussed our opinions on what we believe to be the most dangerous aspects of fast fashion. We both felt that the normalisation of fast fashion consumption is one of the most harmful elements. Shopping is a social activity and it’s become the norm to buy clothes ‘for fun’ instead of when needed. Don’t get me wrong, we all love shopping but 1 in 4 women buy something they know they wont wear or will throw away after one month! Roxy feels that one of the most damaging things about fast fashion is the accessibility and affordability of it. You can walk into Primark and buy an outfit for less than £20, or go online and order a dress for that same evening. This convenience style shopping contributes to the disconnect that so many people in the sustainable fashion community talk about. It’s so easy to buy and throw away in a continuous cycle, without a thought to where the clothes came from, or where they’re going to end up.

Roxy continued to tell me her views on how neocolonialism relates to textile waste. Even donations often end up in landfill, sent to the global south or incinerated. Roxy’s 0 waste business policy is a revolutionary way of slowing down fashion

Roxy also hosts workshops at her store. They generally are focused on upcycling. Her previous workshops have included reworking denim and embroidery. These workshops are a great place learn about how to make the most out your clothes, gain new skills and have fun with some like-minded people. Check out FFF’s instagram page @fuckfastfashion

Or their website https://www.fxckfastfashion.com for details on their upcoming workshops.

Roxy’s recommended brands: I like the way she - rings made from spoons

Cashew the cactus

Purple Guava - transforms

Primark pieces crochet clothing business by

1. What inspired you to start your business?

So I’ve been reselling clothes since 2018 on Depop, either clothes i no longer wear or clothes I’ve brought to resell to make a bit of extra money on. I taught myself how to knit during lockdown and uploaded a top i made for myself that didn’t fit me and it sold. The first sale of one of my knitted pieces is what inspired me to continue to make more as this was the point i realised i could actually make money off something I’ve made.

2. Is sustainability something you value as a brand? And as a individual? Sustainability is something i value as both an individual and as a brand. The majority of clothes i buy are second hand or handmade by smaller businesses. I’ve researched a lot into the growing problem of fast fashion and its something that I don’t want to support as a business.

3. How do you source your materials?

I buy my wool all second hand from charity shops. Doing this makes it unpredictable what sorts of colours and textures I can find and also makes all my pieces unique as no two pieces are the same from the limited amount of wool I have of each colour.

4. Do you ever find yourself with a lot of wasted materials? How do you combat this?

I try to reduce waste as much as i can while I’m working, small pieces of yarn I will try to use in my projects as much as possible. I collect all the very small off cuts which i cant use and use them for stuffing in smaller personal projects. I have recently found that I can use a drop spindle to retwist the offcuts into more yarn. The mailing bags I use are all biodegradable so once the item has received the item bags can be composed or used again. If I am packaging larger parcels I use eco friendly tape which can also be composted by the buyer.

5. What inspires your designs? A lot of my inspiration comes from looking on the explore page of instagram, while scrolling through so many amazing pieces from smaller designers will show up. Being part of the Depop community surrounded by people who have similar views on fast fashion and sustainability keeps me inspired as I’m always finding new ways to shop and sell sustainably.

6. What advice do you have for young people who want to reduce their fast fashion consumption and shop more sustainably?

My advice for younger people who want to shop more sustainably and reduce their fast fashion consumption would be - many new clothing trends are copied from small businesses and mass produced by larger companies charging a lot less as they are able to make them quicker and charge their workers less. Buying from smaller sustainable businesses who use quality materials and put time and effort into their products usually comes at a cost. However, buying these products helps tackle the problem of fast fashion. Another option would be to buy these items which are already being sold on sites such as eBay, Depop and Vinted.

A site i have discovered in the past year is called ‘don’t shop swap’ the whole idea of it is to stop people buying new items as much as possible. You send in a bag of your old clothes which depending on the worth of the items will give you coins on the site to then spend on buying clothes on their site. This is such a good way to clear out some pieces that no longer serve you in exchange for something that does.

7. What brands are you liking at the moment?

One of the brands I’m liking at the moment is Freya McKee she is an independent fashion designer. She has made some stunning knitwear pieces using mohair.

1. What inspired you to start your

I started by naturally upcycling what I had in my closet for myself because I didn’t want to always buy new clothes and wanted to find different ways to change what I would wear from what I have. I would start cutting, hand sewing pieces together on items. Also, I would draw on paint on clothes or shoes, mind you it wasn’t that good when I started. But it was a lot more fun then buying an item because I felt that it had more character, My friends started getting involved and doing similar DIY’s to their clothes. I went on YouTube and learned how to use a sewing machine then it all started from

2. Can you talk us through your production process?

I usually either find what I have in my closet however if there isn’t much I can use, Charity shops or asking friends is my best bet. Usually when I ask friends if there’s clothes they’re getting rid of or don’t wear, they tend to have a lot. If I want something specific, charity shops work best. I then take it home or studio and just get creative. I don’t usually plan too much what I’m going to make as my creative flow is momentary. I watch YouTube videos to understand basics on pattern cutting, then sew it all

3. What inspires your upcycle designs?

Every day life. I might see an outfit someone has on which I’ll find looks nice, so then I experiment to see if I can make something similar with a twist. Or, if there’s something commercial that people are wearing I’ll try make it with upcycled material to show that you can find those items or make those items without needing to buy everything new.

4. What are some of your favourite pieces to upcyle?

Maybe jeans because you can bleach them, fray them, dye them. They’re quite sturdy so sewing with them isn’t too much of a hassle.

5. What advice would you give to young people who might want to start getting into upcyling?

Just get creative with it. Look at is as just doing art. Try anything and everything because you want the process to be something you enjoy so you go back and do more. Also, YouTube is your best friend aha! Don’t be scared to cut some stuff up it’s all part of the

6. I see you host some events, can you talk us through what happens at those events and what people can benefit from

At my workshops I teach people simple ways to upcycle items, from hand sewing to drawing on items. Coming to a workshop can help with getting your creative juices flowing because being in a room with other people that are creating something can help push you.

7. What brands are you liking at the moment?

At the moment I’ve been enjoying Ai MEi Li, Fxckfastfashion and Kultrhshop.