Even in the face of the pandemic, one Chorlton-based not-for-profit has continued to do its bit to improve the fashion industry, one stitch at a time.
Stitched Up’s sustainable clothing mission started in 2011 – as six women joined forces with the goal of encouraging individuality and sustainability through style.
Almost 10 years later, the organisation has proven that sustainable clothing is accessible for everyone – and there’s no need to compromise on style in the process.
Stitched Up offers a creative, environmentally-friendly alternative to chain retail stores, educating Manchester’s population about the pitfalls of the fast fashion industry.
This is achieved through their countless upcycling workshops, clothes swaps, and educational talks dedicated to people of all ages and abilities.
Stiched Up ordinarily offers workshops across Greater Manchester, but the pandemic has prompted the team to rethink their strategies and focus on their social platform.
Staff have been using their online space to host a variety of resources – from video tutorials on how to rework old clothing to petitions and campaigns for important movements within fashion.
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They have even started fundraising to create a sustainable sewing group for locals struggling with mental health and social isolation during the pandemic.
“This was very challenging for some of our participants because they’d never even heard of Zoom,” says Bryony, a member of the Stitched Up team.
“…they were suddenly taking part in a very different project than the one they signed up for.”
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Stitched Up has also passed on clothing repair expertise online through video tutorials that are released weekly – allowing people to upcycle their wardrobe from home.
“Each guide takes you step-by-step through a project from start to finish. Our subscribers pay £3 per month to access a new video every Friday.”
“It’s been really fun thinking up a new project every single week – luckily, we have no shortage of ideas!”
Sustainability is more important now than ever for the team at Stitched Up, as the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of disposable face masks and made ordering from fast fashion sites easier whilst charity shops have faced mass closures.
Manchester has always felt like a fitting home for the Stitched Up project – which has been welcomed with “open arms” into the area.
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“Generally, Mancunians have a really strong sense of style and individuality, as well as resilience and resourcefulness, and all of these things lend themselves really well to thinking more independently about fashion and what we wear.”
It appears that Manchester is at the forefront of sustainable fashion, but the use of digital platforms has also enabled Stitched Up to bring their missions to a wider audience.
“Our weekly video guides have enabled us to reach people from further afield than Manchester or even the UK,” says Bryony, “and we’re glad to have found a way to reach people online during the pandemic.”
However, nothing can quite replace the experience of face-to-face upcycling within Manchester.
“The social interaction with the people of Manchester is a hugely important part of what we do – so we can’t wait to get back to seeing people’s faces in real life!”
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Whilst the team are looking forward to normality returning and their in-person workshops resuming, there are also various new launches on the horizon for Stitched Up.
“Next month we’ll be launching some new kits with accompanying video tutorials to help you repair and rework your clothes at home and our reclaimed fabric store is going online.”
Football fans rage over the cost of the new England kits for 2026 World Cup
Danny Jones
It’s that time again: lots of Three Lions fans have been left furious over the cost of new England kits, and having seen the latest price, we’re not surprised.
No, seriously, the world of football fashion is getting seriously out of control…
With the squads for this month’s national team camp having just dropped, March has also seen the release of the new England home and away shirts – both of which are pretty nice, if you ask us.
In case you haven’t seen it already, here’s an extended look at the reveal video, which debuted the new white and red strips ahead of the 2026 World Cup over in the USA:
You can find the full England kit range and all the prices right HERE.
All that being said, something we don’t like the look of is the price tag, and we’re far from the only ones – a good chunk of social media is up in arms about it.
While one person said, “Baffling anyone paying those prices”, and another quipped, “Then treat yourself to a World Cup ticket for three grand” – match prices having also been raised as a concern – the general consensus seems to be ‘game’s gone’, to use a seemingly timeless phrase.
Another sarcastically wrote, “I have no idea why the counterfeit shirt economy is booming when you can get an original [at] such a good price.”
For example, it didn’t take long for someone to share their most recent and more affordable overseas order along with the caption: “Surely no one is genuinely paying £90 for that when you can get it just as good on DHGate for £10.”
While fake footy shirts are a growing obstacle for manufacturers and suppliers all over the world, for an increasing amount of the general public, it’s now becoming genuinely the only viable way they can justify spending money on the latest kits.
Its a nice kit. But I def do not have £155 lying about.
For context, the above post is an example of the authentic player version worn in matches, which features Nike’s breathable AERO-Fit fabric.
However, even just the standard adult replica version is currently retailing at nearly £90; juniors ‘Stadium’ shirts are priced at £64.99, a full kids ‘Mini’ kit is nearly £50, and even a pair of shorts will set you back either £44.99 or £32.99, depending on whether you’re a kid of grown-up.
When you take into account the countless parents hoping to put a smile on their little one’s face by getting their favourite player’s name on the back of the new England jersey in time for the World Cup, it’s no wonder the Classic Football Shirts and hand-me-down vintage kits culture is so strong.
Featured Images — England/The FA/Sky One (screenshot)
Style
The Premier League and EFL should follow La Liga’s lead and bring Retro Matchdays to the UK
Danny Jones
Following the news that La Liga is set to debut a new ‘Retro Matchday’ round, we can’t help but ask the question: why didn’t the Premier League and EFL think of this first?
Well, technically, neither did the Spaniards, but you take our point.
Anyone who follows the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or even the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) equivalent here in the UK and mainland Europe, will know that the concept is nothing new – but by and large, it seems to be for the beautiful game.
In case you missed it, in an effort to further capitalise on the increasing trend of vintage and classic football kit fashion/the wider nostalgia culture that only seems to be growing every year, Spain’s top two tiers will soon host their inaugural Retro Matchday gameweek next month, and we want a piece of it.
Set to be hosted from Friday, 10 April, over the usual weekend of football in their premier and second division, and running until the final lot of fixtures on Monday, 13 April (no, thankfully not an April Fool’s), supporters will get to see players step out onto the pitch in some of the country’s most iconic kits.
Depending on who you ask, some would argue that Spain has some of the nicest footy shirts all time, whether that be the national side or clubs themselves.
To be honest, we definitely have a soft spot for a proper European throwback – we’re thinking Borussia Dortmund’s 1995/96 home kit, the Napoli kits of the 80s, that amazing Toyota-sponsored Fila Fiorentina kit at the turn of the millennium – and even some of the best 2000s ones now look so old-school.
In fact, we actually had a taster of these kinds of special matches in the past, including here in 0161 for the likes of the Manchester Derby.
Reminds me of the Manchester derby in 2008 where they played in retro kits due to it coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster. Looked absolutely brilliant. pic.twitter.com/TLRjKHThbG
When you also take into account that, besides collectors already creating a whole new craze in filling their cupboards with classic kits, the likes of Nike, Adidas and more now regularly turning to old designs like the ‘Futura’, Total 90′ and various ‘adi Originals’ revivals of late, it’s more the rage than ever.
Birmingham’s recent ‘penguin’ remake, Port Vale’s traditional 150th anniversary one, based on their 1953-54 season jersey, not to mention countless other lifestyle fashion collections inspired by historic releases, you can’t move for the stuff – so why not get them wearing it on the grass?
As mentioned, the likes of local ice hockey outfit Manchester Storm have been taking a leaf out of the NHL’s book for ages now, with the annual ‘Retro Nights’ proving to be some of the most popular dates on the calendar, even selling off original shirts in the stadium itself before, during and after the match.
We genuinely can’t think of a single football lover following a team at any level in the English football pyramid that wouldn’t LOVE this. In fact, plenty of them already go to the ground wearing their dad’s second-hand away strip, which has turned out to be a modern cult favourite among the next generation.
These are the kinds of ideas we can see fans actually getting behind; you can find out more HERE. Would you like to see a retro Premier League and/or EFL match day featuring your favourite kits from down the years?
Daisy Bradbury -
25th November 2020 
