The Good Clothes Show Birmingham

Having taken part in Clothes Show Live between 2009-2012, I was extremely keen to attend this event in its first year being held at the NEC, Birmingham. The vision of its organisers was to deliver a curated sustainable shopping experience that incorporated sustainable shopping opportunities as well as skill sharing workshops and collaborative catwalks. They did not disappoint.

I was contacted a few times and urged to take a stand however, I preferred to visit as a consumer and see what was on offer as well as deciding whether my business was a good fit. For my previous stands at Clothes Show Live my inclusion had been more experimental, there weren't as many businesses back then selling only upcycled and refashioned clothing. I was paired with a few other similar ventures with a mix of sales and workshops on the stand which worked well. Back then it would have been hard to imagine a whole show dedicated to sustainable fashion!

I attended on the first day which was also student day so I was possibly the only one approaching 60 minus a student ID! I'd chosen to wear my Interwoven dress, the one made up of waste fabrics that had been donated and wrapped around Tamworth Castle for an art installation. Over this I wore one of the Red Mutha upcycled jackets as a hat tip to the business I later teamed up with at Clothes Show Live. I also wore my 1977 Miss Capezio cowboy boots which are a little small and which I suffered for after walking around for a couple of hours - the price of fashion eh!

The show was held in one hall and considering it was the first year, had a good variety of stall holders and attractions. I had forgotten to bring items for their dedicated Swap Shop which was a real attraction for visitors, I did visit the Re-Style Lounge and took a look at the Sewing Workshops where I saw a familiar face thinking it was a 'mend friend' of mine but it turned out to be one of the Sewing Bee contestants - I thought I recognised her!

Another favourite section was the Great Imagining where a host of incredible creatives were assembled of which Molly Ni Bhroin and Anna Kompaniet really took my breath away with their incredible talents.

There was a catwalk and a dedicated area for panel talks from experts throughout the industry that included Patrick Grant and Stuart Trevor.

Talking of the All Saint's founder, he was there as an exhibitor with his latest eponymous brand, Stuart Trevor. I got chatting with him for a while about repurposing and refashioning vintage clothing as it is something we have in common. Imagine my delight when Stuart suggested swapping numbers with a view to a future collaboration so, watch this space!

Other highlights came from meeting kindred spirits on stands throughout the hall, creatives making the most of the textiles we have that would otherwise go to waste. I absolutely loved Cat Nash's brand of upcycled clothing, her tailoring skills were amazing. Wild Daisy impressed with her denim creations, we discussed the time required to put together something that is made up of so many parts - if you know, you know. The Gallivanter's Colouring Club had exquisite drawings transferred to clothing, real works of art and By Lou Moffat was another who printed sustainable textiles. One exhibitor I stopped at was Truly Sopel, not only to view her beautiful work but also because she had Sindy dolls on the stall - something I used to have too. We then discovered we'd been at Clothes Show around the same time and knew many of the same sustainable brands from back then.

All in all it was an absolute pleasure to wander around the Good Clothes Show (apart from being crippled by vintage boots) and meet some exciting new designers as well as catch up with familiar faces.

I will definitely be returning, whether as a visitor or as an exhibitor has yet to be decided...