Statement from GU Fashion Revolution:
“We are GUFR, a student-led society that re-established in 2019. Our ethos is based on a vision of a global fashion industry which values the environment and human rights over growth and profit. We aim to promote sustainable and ethical fashion in order to bring an end to human and environmental exploitation. Our goal is to advocate for safe, dignified working conditions and proper living wages for all workers within the industry, whilst working to conserve precious resources, promote craftsmanship and end throwaway culture. Donating your old clothing and buying second-hand helps prevent the creation of needless waste (in the UK 300,000 tonnes of clothes a year are incinerated or sent to the landfill) whether you buy from charity shops, vintage/retro stores or online reselling websites.
The Concept: Our A/W second-hand look was born from the ambition to show all the amazing pieces that can be found second-hand.
We wanted to promote one of the most sustainable ways to consume fashion and challenge the assumption that dressing second-hand means compromising style. To create the outfits, we collaborated with two local second-hand stores based in the west end but also sourced clothes from friends and society members. remember: the most sustainable choice is already in your closet. Two Glasgow-based photographers and four models recruited through our social media helped us create the final product.
One of the aims of the lookbook was to help showcase the vintage and second-hand scene in Glasgow specifically. In the past, all of us have felt a bit daunted about the idea of shopping second hand in stores. Looks aren’t curated for you so you have to know what you like. Second-hand shopping might require a bit more dedication and imagination but we want to show you that it’s absolutely worth it! Buying second hand extends the life of a garment, reducing textile demand and mitigating the environmental impact of fashion as a whole. Not only that but it can be a great way to find high quality, unique pieces for a fraction of the price they would have been new.
Retro Clothing, who kindly agreed to work with us for this shoot, is one of the UK’s longest established vintage clothing shops. We’ve found it to be an absolute gem for jackets and coats. Friends and flatmates of ours have found gorgeous trench coats and a genuine leather jacket (for only £38!). West Vintage also gave us a big helping hand in lending out their clothing to us. We must have spent about an hour in there umming and ahhing because of the sheer amount of choice there – go have a look! Finally, in a time where business is really uncertain, we think it’s more important than ever to support our independent shops. These guys form a massive part of West End culture for us and we want to see them continue to do well.
Finally, a massive shout-out to our photographers/videographers: Peter Clark (@pekyclark) and Andrew Binning (@andrewjamesbinning).
To check out the stores: RETRO is located on 8 Otago Street, at the corner of Paesano Pizza. West Vintage (@west.vintage) is the yellow shop on 649 Great Western Road.”
See more:
https://tinyurl.com/lookbookgufr
