25 Aug Working with the Community: At the Islington Sustainability Fair

On Monday 24th August, Fashion-Enter Ltd (FEL) joined the Islington Sustainability Fair at Islington Assembly Hall, bringing practical sewing, repair and upcycling skills to a busy afternoon of community activities.

The free event brought people of all ages together around sustainability, creativity and reducing waste. Visitors could explore stalls and activities covering energy advice and retrofit, repair and upcycling, crafts, clothing, food, ecology and composting, as well as music and prizes.

FEL’s stall focused on demonstrating how leftover and surplus textiles can be given a new lease of life. Visitors had the opportunity to learn practical sewing skills and discover how simple techniques can help repair, customise and upcycle garments and textiles rather than sending them to waste.

Lan Leeder, Head of Education at Fashion-Enter, delivered a hands-on hand-sewing workshop. Participants learned hand embroidery techniques and used fabric scraps to embellish fabric bottle holders, demonstrating how small pieces of unwanted material can become something useful and creative.

The workshop attracted people from all age groups, with many visitors keen to have a go at hand sewing.

“It was a great event, with lots of people having a go at hand sewing,” said Lan.

The event also sparked interest in other opportunities to develop sustainable making skills, including FEL’s free twice-monthly upcycling sessions at the shop.

FEL was one of several organisations helping visitors explore practical ways to reduce waste.

The Community Clothes Swap offered people the chance to give pre-loved clothing a second life while finding new-to-them pieces, encouraging sustainable fashion and community connection.

The Islington Fixers provided opportunities to repair broken electrical equipment and electronics, with an emphasis on skill-sharing and encouraging participants to take an active role in repairing their own items. They also offered clothing repairs by machine and by hand.

For cyclists, Dr.Bike and its mechanics were on hand to check and service bicycles, including wheels, brakes, gears, tyre pressure, lights, racks, pedals and saddles. Together, these activities highlighted an important message: many everyday items can be repaired, reused, adapted or shared instead of being thrown away.

For Fashion-Enter, taking part in the Islington Sustainability Fair was an opportunity to connect with the local community and show that sustainability can be practical, accessible and enjoyable. From hand stitching and embroidery to clothing swaps, electrical repairs and bicycle maintenance, the fair celebrated the skills that can help people make better use of what they already have.

The strong response to the hand-sewing workshop demonstrated the appetite for learning these traditional and practical skills. By sharing knowledge and making use of surplus materials, community events like this can help turn waste into resources while bringing people together.

FEL looks forward to continuing its work with the Islington community and encouraging more people to discover the creativity and possibilities of repair, reuse and upcycling.