Event: Cambridge creatives breathe new life into old denim

Re-fashion: Denim Edition is a chance to shop preloved and ‘new-old’ - and have your own pieces upcycled and upstyled too

No wardrobe would be complete without denim. But the carbon footprint of the fabric is colossal: over its lifetime, from production to disposal, a single pair of jeans generates a terrifying 33.4kg of CO2. Spotlighting this “elephant in our wardrobes”, preloved pop-up Re-fashion is bringing a special Denim Edition to Cambridge’s Grand Arcade this month.

Organiser Jane Horwood will be there with her signature Trash Chic selection of preloved, upcycled and customised clothing. Designers Andy Boothman, of men’s shirting label DressCode, and Cosmin Diaconu, founder of reimagined fashion brand RetroGusto, will debut their ReCode collection, a collaboration which has seen them turn unwanted denim into new-old sports jackets and limited edition tees.

Velvet stylist Kath Goodwin, a fashion designer who’s shown at London Fashion Week and dressed everyone from Sex And The City’s Kristin Davies to body-positive model Ashley Graham, is also running bookable one-to-one sessions, showing people how to increase the lifespan of their denim through clever styling and alterations. Visitors are encouraged to bring any old or unloved denim with them, so the team can breathe new life into them on the day.

Inspired? You'll find Re-fashion: Denim Edition on Grand Arcade’s first floor throughout the weekend of September 28 and 29 - keep an eye on Trash Chic’s site and socials for updates.

* Styling sessions are £15 for 45 minutes. Book HERE.

* Images: Photography by Juliana Freitas, creative direction by Cosmin Diaconu, models Jane Horwood and Andy Boothman