Budding fashion designers from Year 8 at Putney High School restyled their old clothes during a competition for London Sustainability Weeks.

On 17th May, Recycle Western Riverside (RWR) joined forces with TRAID to hold a workshop at the school, teaching students how to creatively re-style second hand clothes rather than throwing them away.

After a few hours of cutting, stitching, beading, dyeing and sewing, the best designs were selected to go on display during London Sustainability Weeks in Balham Library (6-12 June) and Putney Library (13-19 June).

Joint winners Christina Lopez Stahlie & Lucy Ratcliffe

Wayne Hemingway, maverick designer and creator of the Red or Dead label, and patron of TRAID said: "With a little imagination, it is easy to re-design second hand clothes into up-to-date, fashionable outfits. This encourages people to be creative and helps to reduce the amount of resources needed to make new clothes, which benefits the environment. The items that are produced are also unique - you know that no-one else will be wearing the same outfit!"

During the workshop, students got an overview of TRAID as a recycling charity, took part in a discussion about attitudes towards second hand clothing, saw pieces of customised clothing from the TRAID Remade label and watched a demonstration of various customisation techniques. The students then had the chance to customise their own outfits, with advice and guidance from TRAID employees.

RWR Campaign Manager, Jim Fielder said: "Vintage or second-hand clothes are extremely popular with fashion icons at present. Young people like the idea of customising clothes into a completely unique outfit and these TRAID workshops gave them the skills to learn how. The Recycle Western Riverside campaign funded these workshops in the run-up to London Sustainability Weeks to promote the message of re-using items rather than creating waste."

May 27, 2005