Meet a:dress: Slowing down fast fashion

a:dress is a creative, community‑led initiative working to slow down fast fashion at a local level. Rooted in Folkestone, it brings together upcycled clothing, film, poetry, public conversation and its distinctive Subversive Catwalks to highlight the social and environmental costs of cheap, disposable fashion while celebrating joyful, accessible alternatives.

Recognising the key role young women play in shaping fashion culture, a:dress’s latest project centres their voices. ReWear the Revolution! is a short film co‑created with six girls aged 10–15, developed with Folkestone‑based filmmaker Rhiana Bonterre. The group shaped every stage of the process, from concept and styling to script, sound and visual messaging, ensuring the film is genuinely made by and for young people.

The film explores the impacts of fast fashion and overconsumption, including textile waste, environmental damage and the exploitation of garment workers, particularly women of colour. It also highlights positive alternatives such as clothes swapping, second‑hand styling and upcycling. Featuring activist‑message garments, a clothes swap, a styling session in the MIND charity shop and interviews with fashion activists Baroness Lola Young and Bel Jacobs, the film blends creativity with hopeful, practical action. 

The project has been strengthened through partnership working with Kent Wildlife Trust. Jenny Luddington, Blue Mentor, supported the group by securing a £560 grant to cover transport to London and venue hire for planning meetings, removing practical barriers to participation.

Building on this momentum, the group hope to apply for a further £5,000 from the Ernest Cook Trust to develop an educational resource, additional peer‑education training and a youth‑led film festival to share this work in their local community. 

Following completion, ReWear the Revolution! will be shared through pilot workshops in schools, youth clubs and Girlguiding groups, many co‑led by young women themselves. Combining creativity, leadership and lived experience, a:dress demonstrates how local action can drive cultural change and how rewearing, resisting and reimagining fashion can be powerful, visible, and joyful. 

Read all about the Blue Influencers Scheme

Meet Jenny Luddington (Blue Mentor) and read all about our work supporting young people from underserved communities and those living in deprived coastal, estuary, and riverside locations.

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