Nin Castle

The amount of useable garments which are ending up in landfills and incinerators are at the highest ever in history. With the trend for fast fashion and a disposable mentality, fashion and textile students are at the cutting edge of these issues. This course is set to explain and explore the possibilities of recycling (or 'upcycling') existing garments. Subjects will
include:

• Optimisation of existing garments;
• Practical examples and the limitations of making new from old;
• Pattern cutting and making from recycled textiles;
• Business start up and the benefits and pitfalls of starting your own business;
• There will also be an introduction to the impact of textiles on the environment and a summary of current ethical and sustainable fashion practitioners, though this is not the main feature of the course - the focus will be on creating new fashion from old.

Nin Castle is founder and Creative Director of goodone, an award-winning sustainable fashion label that designs and produces innovative and body-conscious garments made from hand-picked upcycled fabrics. They aim to exceed peoples' expectations of what upcycled fashion can be by creating clothing that doesn't look recycled, but exclusive and fashionable. Launching in 2006, goodone has since been building a reputable brand that is internationally recognised for pioneering the production of high-quality upcycled clothing. Using their expertise in the deconstruction and subsequent reconstruction of garments, goodone has worked on an interesting range of charity projects and fashion initiatives creating new clothing from discarded or obsolete stock. All fabrics are locally sourced and handpicked and designs are individually handmade at the goodone studio in East London. See www.goodone.co.uk. As well as her design work, Nin has also lectured at a variety of art and design colleges, including London College of Fashion and Brighton University (from where she is a graduate).