Online Fashion Boutique for Recycled Clothing
Two cousins from Yorkshire have launched an online boutique for a new ethical accessories brand. Sequel London offers a range of leather bags created from recycled leather jackets, discarded silk ties and unwanted curtains.
Designer Laura Queening from Holmfirth, and Marketeer Claire Baigent from Leeds, set up Sequel London to reduce waste and encourage sustainability in fashion. The cousins select unwanted clothing from Oxfam’s Wastesaver warehouse in Huddersfield, recycle the material to create contemporary accessories which are then manufactured in East London.
The Spring Summer 2010 collection consists of six designs that offer bespoke, durable styles at high-street prices, from £39 to £79. The aesthetic include leather covered button details, and a removable recycled silk tie decoration, used to add colour and texture to the range. Linings are made of high-quality off-cuts from second-hand curtains at Oxfam, and provide the details which make each individual Sequel product unique.
Commenting on the launch of the online boutique, Sequels product Designer, Laura Queening said: “We decided to launch Sequel London as a way of encouraging sustainability in fashion, by using those cast-offs that most of us have in the back of our wardrobes, to produce classic, beautiful pieces which can be worn with pride time and again.
“Fashion can change so quickly, and often we see clothing that is in excellent condition, but wouldn’t be worn by the more fashion conscious among us! We only choose the best quality material, even if the clothing itself has long since passed its fashion sell-by date, and from that we make a new product, reducing waste and offering something different in today’s disposable lifestyle."
Laura Queening was awarded Drapers Student Accessories Designer of the Year in 2007, and has worked with designers such as Stori Sac, DKNY and Charlott Vasberg. In 2008 she launched Aura Que, which produces a range of accessories manufactured as part of the Nepal Fair Trade Group to increase ethical production in this developing country.
Claire Baigent graduated from Newcastle University in 2006 with a degree in French and Film Studies, before securing a job with a consumer marketing consultancy, working on a range of high profile national accounts. She holds a CIPR Advanced Certificate in Public Relations.
For more information on Sequel London, get in touch with Claire Baigent on 07852123081 or visit www.sequellondon.co.uk.
