Manchester supports sustainable clothing with fast fashion t-shirt swap

Manchester-based ethical and sustainable fashion brand The Bee Thrive are making waves in the city with their fast fashion t-shirt swap.

Inviting clothing-conscious Mancs down to the Whiskey Jar in the Northern Quarter, more than 100 Manchester residents swapped their fast fashion tees for sustainable counterparts to mark the beginning of Fashion Revolution week.

For those of you that don’t know, Fashion Revolution week is a movement to unite people and organisations to work towards radically changing the way clothes are sourced, produced and consumed to ensure that all clothing is made in a safe, clean and ethically fair way.

Raising awareness of the serious dangers that millions of workers in the fashion industry face across the globe, The Bee Thrive team labels itself as an eco-hub, providing both ethically sourced fashion and information, encouraging consumers like me and you to wear our environmental values on our sleeves – literally.

Making eco-fashion mainstream, the team are also honouring the six year anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh which sadly killed over 1,134 people in the county’s single worst industrial disaster.

And thanks to the 100 Mancs who showed their support for the event, the t-shirt donations will now be transformed by fashion students at John Moore University.

“We actually ran out of T-shirts,” says Bee Thrive founder Gemma Gratton.

“It was a great turn out and just goes to show that people feel very strongly that we need to protect workers and protect the environment and we have to change our fast fashion culture.

“We want to show there is a way you can produce beautiful, ethical, sustainable and organic fashion, whilst not sacrificing style. Our aim is to become an ethical ASOS.

“It’s not about lecturing fast fashion outlets or customers but about providing real ‘must-have’ alternatives that don’t have the harsh environmental or workers’ price tag.

“It was a great event to showcase the real fashion revolution and show that we can create stunning clothes, accessories, jewellery and beauty products, made without a human or environmental price.”

Guests who attended the t-shirt swap event also had the chance to preview new collections from designers, jewellery and accessory makers, as well as try out new beauty treatments – all from companies and people who promote ethically sourced, sustainable products in an environmentally friendly way.

To find out how you can do your bit to support sustainable fashion, visit the website below.

And FYI, keep your eyes peeled on I Love MCR’s online shop as we’re making some significant changes to our merch very soon which will see our range go 100% organic in support of ethically sourced fashion.

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