Checkered it out — plaid coats with a conscience
WHEN IT comes to fashion with a conscience, few do it better than UK menswear designer Bethany Williams. From jersey pieces created through Making for Change, a fashion training and manufacturing project established in 2014 at HMP Downview, to buttons made with the Manx Workshop for the Disabled, Williams has been committed to effecting radical social change since she launched her label in 2017.
And this week she continues her collaboration with The Magpie Project, a Newham-based charity that supports women and children under five in temporary, unsuitable or no accommodation, with the release of an upcycled coat collection, as part of Fashion Week.
The nine-piece unisex coat collection, which is being sold exclusively at Selfridges, is crafted from recycled blankets, and 20 per cent of the profits will be donated to The Magpie Project.
“The Women’s Institute community creates a personal blanket for every baby born into the Magpie family,” says
Williams, who trawled antique markets and car boot sales for blankets to upcycle into coats. Each she found tells a story, from the textile and weaving techniques, to the place it was made in. “A blanket is more than a piece of fabric,” she says. “It is a feeling of comfort and shelter and I wanted that feeling to be at the heart of this collection.”
Jane Williams, chief executive and founder of Magpie, said: “Bethany lends her spotlight to tell seldom-heard stories, empowering those who have previously felt marginalised.”
The Bethany Williams Benevolent Fund has become “a lifeline” for mothers in moments of crisis, she says. When one mother was forced to move home with 12 hours’ notice, the fund paid for a man with a van, which meant that she did not lose the furniture. When another was forced to flee domestic abuse and housed in a flat with no beds, the fund meant that her children did not have to sleep on the floor.
“We are using the BWBF when no other funds are available to mums and a surprisingly small amount of money (up to £100 at a time) makes the impossible possible.”
The blanket coats, which come in three styles and were handcrafted in London, are constructed from a colourful plaid and patchwork mashup, with oversized fits that mean they really are for everyone.
Each comes with a 100 per cent organic cotton lining and wooden buttons made by craftsman Spencer Martin from London Green Wood using Hackney-grown wood or waste wood from local tree surgeons. The coats start at £1,380 and are on sale as part of Selfridges’s Project Earth initiative.
⬤ To donate to the BWBF visit: justgiving. com/ magpie project