Fashion: Eco pop-up and ethical catwalk come to Cambridge

Let’s Go Circular returns to Cambridge’s Grand Arcade this month – with a eco pop-up boutique and an ethical catwalk new for 2023

Want to make your wardrobe a greener place? Let’s Go Circular, the Grand Arcade’s flagship sustainability event, returns this month - with both an eco-fashion show and a preloved pop-up boutique added to the lineup.

Transforming the walkways of the shopping mall into a catwalk on October 26, The Good Fashion Show is a collaboration between Grand Arcade and Cambridgeshire-based not-for-profit Give Your Best, the award-winning online platform which allows people living in clothing poverty, including refugee women and children, to shop donated fashions for free. A ticketed evening event, the show will feature female refugees and asylum seekers modelling a collection of ethically and responsibly sourced fashion straight from the high street.

Open throughout the weekend of October 28 and 29, the pop-up boutique will then give shoppers the chance to buy vintage and preloved clothing (Trash Chic and Pam’s Fantasia), handbags and shopping totes upcycled from bicycle inner tubes and expired advertising banners (Qhere) and fabric remnants (Mouse & Bear), plus get styling advice, repairs and alterations from a fashion designer (Velvet’s own Kath Goodwin).

The nine-day event, which runs from October 21 to 29, also includes a chance to ask experts how to improve the energy efficiency of your home (Cambridge Carbon Footprint), make small-but-mighty lifestyle changes (Eco Bee), learn how to sew and mend (Sew Positive) and donate unwanted musical instruments for repair and regifting (Miller’s Music).

“The success of last year’s event showed us there is a huge demand for more responsibly sourced and alternative ways of shopping,” says Martin Macwhinnie, Grand Arcade general manager. “Circular ways of living not only have a positive environmental impact but also can help people save money too.

“As a shopping centre, we have an important responsibility to showcase the best Circular Economy initiatives. What better way to host them all under one roof allowing our visitors to learn, share, and connect with others – for free!”

For the full lineup and to book tickets for The Good Fashion Show, go to grandarcade.co.uk/events/lets-go-circular/