Young Green Maker Initiative
In 2024, we launched our Young Green Maker Initiative, increasing the scope of our support to young creatives keen to work more sustainably. These are the projects we have worked on so far.
RE-MAKE
The Courses
RE-MAKE is the name of our sustainable textiles course for teens.
RE-MAKE 1
In March/April 2024 we ran a pilot programme for teenagers interested in sewing, upcycling and sustainability. We ran the course over 5 Saturdays and it was very ambitious.
13 teens attended to learn how to set up and run their own sustainable fashion accessory brand, working with donated, upcycled and end-of-life fabric from places such as army surplus stores.
We looked at everything from customer profiles, designing a range and manufacturing, to creating a brand, marketing and photographing your range - and they even ran their own brand’s social media channels for the duration of the course.
The students had to work together to design and make a range that eventually went on sale in the MAKE Southwest shop!
It was from this pilot programme that the brand RE-MAKE was created and is now the name of future iterations of the course.
RE-MAKE 2 & 3
For the most recent versions of the RE-MAKE course, run in February 2025 and April 2025, we had to change the formula a little. Due to budget constraints it was not possible to run the course in the same way. We also learnt a few lessons about how much it is possible to achieve in such a short time. It was also important to us that, this time round, the students were able to take their own creations home.
We ran a 2-day course in the February half-term, and another in the Easter break. Each of them were practical, hands-on workshops that prioritised working with the fabric we had available and create a design around it, as a true upcycling artist would.
The structure ensures a balance of hands-on learning, creativity, and the importance of sustainability, while allowing teens to make unique items and feel proud of their creations.
All RE-MAKE courses are completely free. We have worked with 24 different young makers during this project so far.
The Tutors
byAliceWood
Alice is a bag and accessories designer and maker, based in Plymouth.
She has two main collections of work. One using Italian veg tanned leather that is sustainably produced, using traditional low impact methods that don't use harmful chemicals. Alice creates a collection of simple and elegant bags and accessories in a wide variety of colours that are made to be used and loved.
Her second collection uses reclaimed, locally sourced, waste textiles, to make a broad range bags and accessories. All of the materials, are in limited amounts and this creates a collection that is constantly evolving as the materials change. Alice really enjoys working with the different qualities, colours and textures to design her new products.
MUKTA
Mukta-Undone is a up-cycle fashion brand created by Abby.
It is Abby’s aim to encourage sustainable fashion making, consumption and thinking ways through workshops and fashion events within the community.
Abby runs workshops, mends clothing and creates amazing one-off garments from up-cycled materials in small-scale production.
The following photos are from all 3 of the different RE-MAKE courses.
Exhibition: Generation Green
For this Young GMI project we wanted to increase the scope of our support to young creatives advocating for the benefits of materials and practical skills-based learning in schools, something that has virtually disappeared from the curriculum.
For this programme, we asked our pledged Green Makers to run workshops in a local secondary schools, teaching the students about their sustainable craft. Our workshop aims are always for participants, both young and old, to learn practical skills and materials-based knowledge, and for these we also wanted to encourage dialogue and thinking about sustainability and choice of materials and techniques.
“...the imagination and thought they put into their creatures was lovely, for example one student designed a rhinoceros to represent the last rhinoceros left in the wild” - workshop leader.
Workshops were held at Ivybridge Community College; Glendinning Academy, Newton Abbot; South Dartmoor Community College, Ashburton, and Callington Community College. We are grateful to The Arts Society and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their support.
“This was such a fantastic opportunity for the students to experience something outside of the curriculum and I have never seen them so focused.....it resulted in one of the best days I have had in my teacher career so far!” - class teacher.
The images below are taken from the exhibition, held in the Riverside Gallery at MAKE Southwest.
Do you know a young person who is involved with creative sustainable projects and might benefit from our support or guidance? We would love to hear from you or them. Please email Hannah Mills-Brown: hannah@makesouthwest.org.uk