"Joyful Stitch" Story
The idea for “Joyful Stitch” first emerged during the quarantine period, a time marked by an abundance of free hours, home workouts and a crazy banana bread consumption. Like many, I felt the urge to reorganise my wardrobe and contribute by donating some clothes. However, as I sifted through my wardrobe, the sight of unworn or rarely worn stuff, completely forgotten and buried on shelfs made me sick in my stomach. Despite considering myself quite a conscious consumer, the sheer quantity really shocked me. Inspired to dig deeper, I made some research that revealed startling numbers about the fashion industry’s environmental impact:
According to TheRoundup.com, at the current rate, global clothing sales would reach 160 million tons by 2050.
- We own more clothes than we used to, and we wear them less. Fifteen years ago, our wardrobes were simpler and more sustainable. But today, we find ourselves buying 60% more clothing than before, only to discard each item after wearing it 50% as often.
- On average, every single person in the world uses 11.4 kilograms of clothing every year. This produces the equivalent of 442kg of CO2 emissions per capita.
- Global clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2015 due to an increased demand for cheap clothing.
This revelation helped a lot with my decision to step away from the fashion industry. Pledging to make more mindful fashion choices, I contemplated the individual contribution I could make. , I recognized that many garments were discarded due to minor flaws like a hole or stain, or simply because they fell out of favor. Given my new-found love for embroidery (thank you Covid!) I’ve dedicated a considerable amount of time to transform old clothing into something both stylish and revitalised. It is, obviously, a non-profitable project, I’m doing it mostly for myself, my family and friends (but I have a lot of friends, so I always have 3-4 designs to work on). In future I would love to participate in a charitable event and contribute with my embroideries. Here are some of the pieces I’ve created.
