Sustainable fashion in Gorton

Supported by In Our Nature, a partnership programme led by Manchester Climate Change Agency, Valery Touchet from VT Creation has been running sustainable fashion workshops at Gorton Central.

Valery has a long history with sustainable fashion practices, with it being her career focus when she went to University and learned about the history of fast fashion.

“From seeing children aged 7 working in the fashion industry, creating garments that end up in a landfill in poor countries and taking about 500 years to degrade, I thought what can I do?”

Valery leading a sustainable sewing workshop in Gorton Central

During the workshops, Valery teaches the participants a variety of skills, from how to amend their own clothes to creating garments from different materials which are donated by local supporters.

“Learning how to mend clothes is such a valuable skill to have, it saves money and can be a quick easy thing to do. The women really enjoy the sessions and it’s great to see how far they’ve come!”

Karen, a regular participant, also praised the workshops for teaching her how to use a sewing machine and giving her a place to go during her retirement: “I have a sewing machine at home but I’ve not been confident enough to use it, but now I am. The ladies I’ve met are really nice too”