Leek charity to fashion a garden that gives back!
Fashion Revolution to create an eco-friendly textile garden at the Chelsea Flower Show
A Leek-based charity is to create a show garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Fashion Revolution will create the unique garden at the world famous show in May.
In support of Fashion Revolution, garden designer Lottie Delamain, will create the first-ever garden entirely with plants that can be used to make or dye clothes. A textile garden for Fashion Revolution will be part of the new ‘All About Plants’ category alongside several other gardens, supported by Project Giving Back.
Throughout history, plants have played a fundamental role in fashion as dyes, fibres and floral motifs. While trekking in Northern Vietnam, Lottie saw how families grew the plants to make their clothes alongside their vegetables and was fascinated by the close relationship between what they wore and what was growing. However, in the globalised world, this connection is rapidly being lost.
Co-founder and global operations director Carry Somers, who also has a shop in the town, said: “A textile garden provides a unique opportunity to showcase creative possibilities and innovative thinking around how we can use the resources that are on our doorsteps to create more sustainable solutions. It will help to re-establish the connection between plants and textiles and reveal the beauty to be found in plant-based dyes and fibres.
“The garden design is intended to imitate a textile, with distinctive blocks of colour to create the impression of a woven fabric. Plants will be supplied by UK nurseries and growers and will be chosen for their use of fibres or textile dyes in commercial or craft use and the garden will feature a textile installation made entirely from plants by students of Headington School, Oxford.
“Polyester manufacturing is an energy-intensive process, requiring large amounts of water and producing high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, while wastewater emitted from its processing contains volatile substances. “Despite this, Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index 2021 found that only a quarter of major brands publish time-bound, measurable targets on reducing the use of textiles deriving from virgin fossil fuels. More than 15,000 chemicals can be used during the manufacturing process, yet only 30 per cent of brands disclose their commitment to eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals.”
Carry saw the impact clothing has on the environment first hand two years ago, when she sailed 2000 miles into the South Pacific Gyre on a voyage to investigate microplastic pollution.
She said: “Textiles are the largest source of both primary and secondary microplastics, accounting for 34.8 per cent of global microplastic pollution.
“The philosophy behind the garden is about seeing the potential in the resources we have on our doorstep and exploring how we can utilise them in more creative ways.
“We would like visitors to our garden, as well as those who view the television coverage, to:
Feel inspired by the many plants that can be used to make natural dyes and fibres.
Be encouraged to try dyeing with plants at home, or even create a minidye garden.
Think about the plants (or not) that they might be wearing and ask #whatsinmyclothes?
“After the Chelsea Flowere Show, the garden will be relocated to Headington School in Oxford.”
It will help to re-establish the connection between plants and textiles
Carry Somers