Bromley (United Kingdom) (AFP)

For their operation, the "Street Stichers", ephemeral street designers, chose to settle on Wednesday in the London suburb of Bromley in front of a Primark store, a symbol of "fast fashion" increasingly pointed out for its environmental impact.

Their slogan "Stitch it don't ditch it" appears on the backs of their stools or folding chairs, often sewn in brightly colored threads.

The organizer, Suzi Warren, wants to educate passers-by on the repeated purchase of inexpensive clothes, easily thrown away: "It is not a question of saying that you should not buy them, but of saying: + if you buy, try to establish some kind of contract to keep them as long as possible + ".

"We cannot continue to produce clothes at this rate," she told AFP.

Designer of an online clothing store with humorous patterns, Suzi Warren launched the Street Ditching movement this year, after hearing about the damage caused by "fast fashion".

His initiative was notably popularized by Instagram.

- "Meditative" practice -

Among the participants present on Wednesday, Madeleine Tanato mends a dress: "In recent years, I have realized that disposable fashion has a very bad impact on the environment".

Intrigued, passers-by stop to ask questions.

It is above all about showing them that mending is a source of pleasure.

"Mending is very meditative and a healthy mental health activity," says Suzi Warren, adding, "It's easy, cheap, all you need is a needle and a thread."

To convince everyone that mending is within everyone's reach, passers-by are invited to scan a QR code giving them access to online tutorials.

The event was held simultaneously in several cities in the UK and abroad on the occasion of Sustainable Fashion Week, September 11-19 in the UK, as a prelude to the traditional "Fashion week" bringing together the great couturiers in the capital from Friday.

Low-cost fashion brands are regularly singled out for the waste and pollution they generate as well as the wage conditions imposed on their workers.

The sector has seen its image tarnished by the tragedy of the collapse in April 2013 of the Rana Plaza, a garment workshop in Dhaka (1,138 dead), or by reports on the use by certain brands of cotton resulting from the forced labor of the Uyghurs in China.

Faced with criticism, the Primark chain promised Wednesday, by 2030, to "make all clothing from recycled materials or from more sustainable sources" or to "reduce carbon emissions by half".

Another British brand, Asos on Thursday published commitments towards more ethics, diversity in its employees, sustainability in its manufacturing and carbon neutrality by 2030.

© 2021 AFP