Claire is confident in the role that Edmonton people can play in taking action to change the throw-away culture of buying a piece of clothing that is only worn a few times. And she’s proud of Edmonton’s roll-up-your-sleeves attitude to get the job done.
“I think there is a real humility, a real community spirit, and there is a real willingness to jump in and do the dirty work. And this is work. It’s work to organize a kind of rallying cry for people to get involved with something that's a little scary. I think that is so important because fashion revolution is not going to work if it is if it is limited to the high-fashion markets.
“In Edmonton, I think we’re really unafraid of hard work and I think we’re really great at bending together as a community.”
Fashion Revolution Week runs from April 23 to April 29 and includes a range of events, both online and in physical locations:
One of the highlights in Edmonton will be a clothing swap event at Richie Community Hall on the last night, in which the public is invited to bring a piece of clothing and take a piece.
But even though Claire is leading a revolution, she isn’t losing sight of the fact that fashion is fun. The last thing she wants is to lay a guilt trip on people.
“To me what is so crucial is the focus stays on positivity and opportunity. Guilt is very boring. And it’s very de-energizing. And this movement needs energy.
“People know that fashion fast is a problem. So we can talk about what a problem it is or we can talk about all the really cool, creative ways that we can get more wear out of our clothes. That is the answer. Wear your clothes longer.”
A selection of the colors of belts that Unbelt sells
Photo by: Ian Stewart
Some of the people Claire employs
Photo by: Ian Stewart