22 Dec Upcycling at the Finsbury Park Crisis Shop

On Wednesday 21st December, FEL’s Fashion Studio Assistant, Gee Fletcher, spent the day at the local Crisis charity shop on Stroud Green Road to support buying secondhand and upcycling techniques.

Gee said: “It was such a lovely day spent at the Finsbury Park Crisis shop, we sold some Mystery Upcycling Packs for Christmas and upcycled over coffee. 

“I sat with a very talented hair stylist, she transformed a basic black bodycon scuba dress into a glamorous vintage style gown by adding vintage style trims onto the straps. We turned a plain box tee into a ruched sleeved jacket with the same vintage buttons, she then added two black and gold belts to bring it all together and the end result looked very unique. All these items (apart from the buttons that were provided by Crisis) were in the Mystery Upcycling Pack!

“I spoke with lots of people from the area who were interested in learning new fashion industry skills, or who had worked in the industry for many years, and they all loved the idea of the Mystery Upcycling packs and loved that the money is going towards ending homelessness.

“By upcycling garments, we are prolonging the life of the garment, which means less landfill! I think it’s important when purchasing new clothes that we do this consciously. For years I have mostly bought my clothes second hand, I rarely buy anything brand new anymore but whenever I do there’s certain pointers I keep in mind… 

– Do I absolutely love this item?

– Can I wear this with at least 3 other items in my wardrobe? 

– What shoes or hat would I wear this with (because these are my favourite outfit accessories)?

– And now…how could I upcycle this item in the future so I can prolong its lifespan?

Gee commented further: “I am so pleased we have started to actively engage with Crisis as there is so much we can do for the community, especially as the cost of living is now so difficult. I spent 8 hours at the event and I also went to the opening at Savile Row for the day too. We are keen to donate lots of clothes with Crisis for the future. We are also going to invite local residents to do upcycling classes at our own shop in Fonthill Road too so watch this space!”