Press Release *** EMBARGOED until 00:01 GMT 30 November 2021 ***
Unwrap your Wardrobe this Festive Season As party goers get ready to ramp up the glamour this December, Hubbub urge people to re-style, re-wear and rejoice in planet friendly fashion
Image: All fashion shown will be in Loanhood x Hubbub’s Festive Clothes Swap 30 Nov Credit: Tarkan Algin
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7 millioni+ UK residents plan to buy a brand-new piece of clothing for 2021 festivities
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Spending £330.5 million on new outfitsii in the run up to Christmas
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Meanwhile 57 millioniii little black dresses hang in wardrobes ripe for a re-style
Following COP26, we’re more aware than ever that we all have a role to play in fighting climate change and rethinking how we dress is one of a number of ways we can do this. This party season, environmental charity Hubbub, is challenging people to wear something they already have instead of buying something new. Why? Because the most sustainable outfit is the one already in your wardrobe The UK’s addiction to fast fashion is damaging the planet. According to the Government’s Fixing Fashion Report, around 300,000 tonnes of used clothes are burned or buried in landfill each year in the UK. Like single-use plastics, clothing manufacturing is responsible for up to one-fifth of industrial water pollution, and polyester, ubiquitous in cheap fast fashion, pumps out micro plastics when washed. These break down into smaller and smaller pieces and never actually disappear. A recent survey by Censuswide*, commissioned by Hubbub, found that 1 in 8iv (over 7 million) adults plan to buy at least one new piece of clothing for this year’s party season – that’s £330.5 million on party season clothes alone. What’s more over 3 million admit they plan to buy online, sending at least one item back; that’s 12.3 million items of clothing expected to be returned. With the average of 4 pieces of clothing being bought and 2 pieces being sent back. Sarah Divall from Hubbub explains; “Fashion is such an important part of so many of our lives but we can still look great without harming the planet. Buying something new shouldn’t be the default when there are so many gems hiding in wardrobes all across the UK. This festive season we’re asking people to get inventive by restyling something they already own to give last year's fashion a new life.” Fashion Activist Emma Slade Edmonson says; “Much of my career has been focused on hero-ing the value and beauty in existing textiles and clothing, and at this time of year which can sometimes (with all the parties and meetups and gifting) feel like it’s rooted in ‘excess’ - it’s all the more important to really lean into enjoying your own wardrobe. Personally, I love the exercise of digging into my wardrobe to find old gems and to create fun party season looks from my favourites. And in doing this that I’m reminded that I really don’t need ANOTHER new party outfit. Give it a go and I bet you’ll feel the same.”
Hubbub suggests four greener options this season: 1. Rewear, restyle or upcycle an outfit you already own 2. Borrow or swap with friends 3. Rent from one of the great rental sites available like Loanhood, By Rotation, Hurr or others. Or chose peer to peer rentals and look for people nearby to rent from. 4. Buy second-hand from a vintage shop, online reseller or a charity shop Hubbub’s recent survey also found 57 million little black dresses (LBDs) lingering in wardrobes waiting to be zhuzhed up for the party seasonv. Which is why Hubbub is joining forces with fashion influencers to fight waste and pose the #LBDChallenge, providing simple tips and inspiration to encourage LBD owners across the UK to glam-up this sophisticated wardrobe staple and rethink their shopping plans. Go to Hubbub.org.uk or @helloHubbub on Insta for more info and inspiration. In addition to help encourage people to rewear/restyle, borrow, rent or buy second-hand rather than buy new, Hubbub is hosting a free clothes swap in Covent Garden to launch their Festive Fashion Campaign on 30 November with Loanhood, hosted by The Yards. • • • • •
EVENT: Hubbub x Loanhood Festive Clothes Swap DATE/TIME: 6-9pm, 30 November VENUE: St Martin's Courtyard, 6 Slingsby Pl, London WC2H 9EF TICKETS: FREE, https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/loanhood-x-hubbub-clothes-swaptickets-208880305617 PRESS ACCREDITATION: jenny.rose@barleycommunications.co.uk
For more information, interviews and assets please contact: Jenny Rose jenny.rose@barleycommunications.co.uk or 07957 551697 Notes to Editors Censuswide survey took place between 22nd and 25th October 2021 and surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,000 UK residents. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.
About Hubbub Hubbub is an award-winning charity and social enterprise that inspires ways of living that are good for the environment - disrupting the status quo to raise awareness, nudge behaviours and shape systems. Their aim is to revolutionise communications with the public about environmental issues - using everyday language and good design to make environmental actions desirable and tapping into things people are passionate about such as food, fashion, homes and neighbourhoods. This innovative approach saw Hubbub win the Charity of the Year Award at the prestigious Charity Times Awards in 2020. Since its formation in 2014, Hubbub has delivered more than 60 trailblazing environmental campaigns in collaboration with over 700 partners, helping to shift the national debate on key environmental issues such as food waste, sustainable fashion, air pollution and recycling. Hubbub’s campaigns include #LeedsByExample which brought together 25 of the UK’s largest companies to boost recycling on the high street, a 3-year partnership with IKEA to create the world’s largest consumer-facing sustainability campaign ‘Live Lagom’ and creating a Network of 200 Community Fridges across the UK, each redistributing on average 2.4 tonnes of food every month that would otherwise have gone to waste. https://www.hubbub.org.uk/ Twitter: @hubbubuk Facebook: @HubbubUK Instagram: @helloHubbub LinkedIn: Hubbub-UK About Loanhood LOANHOOD, a peer to peer marketplace, is building the go-to brand for Gen Z in the super-hot fashion rental space. On the app, LOANERS can borrow other people’s clothes or rent out their own to make some money. It’s reinventing the way fashion works (for the better). Join the rental rebellion. About The Yards - www.theyardscoventgarden.co.uk The Yards is a series of interconnecting courtyards and streets including St Martin’s Courtyard and Mercer Walk, just a two-minute walk from both Covent Garden and Leicester Square tube stations. An urban oasis in the heart of London’s West End, it’s home to an eclectic mix of shopping, dining and wellbeing experiences, including some of London’s best-loved restaurants, leading fashion brands and world-renowned lifestyle stores.