Stitched Up UK

Stitched Up United Kingdom

Stitched Up Co-op is a Manchester-based social enterprise dedicated to tackling the ethical and environmental crises within the fashion industry through education, practical skills, and community engagement. Operating as a co-operative, it champions sustainable practices, worker empowerment, and a circular economy approach to clothing.

I. Mission and Core Philosophy

The Co-op's philosophy directly addresses the damaging linear model of "fast fashion" (take, make, dispose) by promoting a more circular and community-focused approach.

Ethical Focus: They prioritize the social side of sustainability, educating the public about worker exploitation, poor labor conditions, and the human cost associated with rapid, cheap garment production.
Environmental Focus: They highlight the massive waste, water consumption, carbon emissions, and microplastic pollution generated by the textile industry.
Empowerment: Their core mission is to empower individuals to become active participants in a more sustainable clothing system, moving them away from passive consumerism.

II. Key Activities and Programs

Stitched Up Co-op utilizes hands-on, educational activities to fulfill its mission, offering practical alternatives to buying new clothes:

Workshops and Education: They run popular workshops focused on developing skills like visible mending, upcycling, garment alteration, and basic machine sewing. This extends the lifespan of clothing and fosters a deeper appreciation for the skill involved in garment construction.
Clothes Swaps: By facilitating large, organized clothes swap events, they actively promote the recirculation of clothing, keeping textiles out of landfills and giving them a "second life."
Community Engagement: They work with schools, businesses, and local councils to raise awareness and deliver tailored programs that integrate sustainable fashion into broader community initiatives.
Resource Creation: They produce accessible, high-quality resources and campaigns that demystify sustainable fashion choices and highlight ethical brands.

REWORK IT // Split Hem Shirt // upcycle an old shirt

III. Alignment with "Ada's Army" Themes

Stitched Up Co-op aligns powerfully with themes of The Peoples Hub "Ada's Army" project, particularly in the areas of ethical governance and female empowerment:

Ada's Army Theme	Stitched Up Co-op Application	Connection
Combating "Hype"	They debunk the hype that fashion is disposable, replacing it with the reality of repair and value.	Both groups reject unsustainable, short-sighted consumption models in favor of long-term stewardship (of the land/of textiles).
Female Empowerment	The co-op structure and focus on traditional textile skills (often historically female labour) revalues the expertise of women in production and repair.	Both projects place women at the forefront of ethical decision-making and sustainable production/consumption systems.
Ethical Governance	They govern their organization as a co-op, modelling transparency and shared ownership, directly countering the exploitative structure of fast fashion corporations.	They provide a tangible model of how an ethical Protocol (like the Lovelace Protocol) can structure an organization's operations for social good.
Earth Stewardship	By reducing textile waste and consumption, they directly mitigate environmental damage stemming from the fashion supply chain.	Both projects focus on practical, local actions (repairing clothes / ethical farming) that have a collective impact on the Earth.

They demonstrates how collective, community-led action, guided by ethical principles, can successfully challenge entrenched corporate systems.

Find Us

Address

Bridge 5 Mill 22A Beswick Street Manchester M4 7HR

Phone

0161 881 7141

Email

hello@stitchedup.coop

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.