Re:Pair Lab is on a mission to revolutionise how we treat old clothes and buy new ones, while promoting sustainability, creativity and community.
What do you do with your old clothes? Sell them? Drop them at a charity shop? Throw them away? Well, Trinity Leeds is now home to an innovative new fashion concept that will change the way you think about your old gear. Re:Pair Lab gives you the chance to buy clothes that have been upcycled by local brands, businesses and designers, while also showing you how to do it yourself.
This is a pop-up shop that will be open for 12 weeks from Thursday 13th June 2024, and is a result of a collaboration between Trinity Leeds, Leeds Beckett University and Wayne Hemingway, co-founder of Hemingway Design. The latter has done this kind of thing before, bringing sustainable retail into the mainstream with concepts like the Charity Super.Mkt.
Hemingway explained, “Re:Pair Lab gives designer makers and second-hand sellers a place to ‘have a go’ in a collaborative space in a high footfall, popular city centre location, whilst pairing designer-makers with brilliant local charities to repair and remake second-hand items, and creating a vibrant community hub through free workshops and events.”
So what can you expect at Re:Pair Lab? It will feature rotating residences from a series of Leeds-based fashion students, business and designers, who will then collaborate with charity retail Emmaus to repair and transform clothing that would otherwise end up in landfill. They’ll all work together to turn these old, unloved pieces into a new collection of garments that you can buy.
But that’s not all. Those same designers will be able to sell their own creations in store, while the second-hand businesses and brands will have curated rails from their collections – the aim of the latter is to give a physical space to people who’ve built businesses on platforms like Depot and Vinted, while letting them test out ideas or creations without worrying about financial investment.
Sam Hudson-Miles, Course Director of Fashion at Leeds Beckett University, said, “Re:Pair Lab aligns with our commitment to celebrate and retain fashion talent in Leeds and its region. The initiative also furthers our allegiance to sustainable fashion design education. Re:Pair Lab is a pivotal opportunity for our students to test-bed the marketability of their collections.”
They’re also encouraging the wider public to get involved too – not only can you pop down, see them working in action and pick up your favourite pieces, but you can learn how to do it yourself. There will be a series of hands-on creative workshops for you to take part in that will educate and empower you to learn DIY techniques for altering and upcycling clothes.
The first rotation will run from Thursday 13th June to Thursday 4th July 2024 with local talent Wanner Label, Alice D Designs, Tomo and Trad Collective, plus charity partner Emmaus will have a curated selection of their own clothing. Whether you’re going to buy, take part or just get some upcycling tips, why not pop by the Re:Pair Lab this summer?
Re:Pair Lab comes to Trinity Leeds from Thursday 13th June to Sunday 8th September 2024. It’s open from 10am to 7pm, Wednesday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.
