The Elephant in my Wardrobe

The Elephant in my Wardrobe is a personal project that began on Instagram where I ask questions and spark debate about how to buy less, choose secondhand first, mend, upcycle, restyle and rewear the clothes we already own.

I’ve worked as a Design and Creative Director in fashion for over 30 years, creating and delivering product and communication strategies for brands, building teams, mentoring design talent and championing craftsmanship.

On a personal level I have become increasingly disillusioned with the fashion industry's push for growth at all costs; driving us to consume clothes like takeaway coffee and in some instances to value them less. It is clearly completely unsustainable. I believe that to stop climate change in a globally equitable way; we, western consumers, will need to shop a lot less and reconstitute our relationships with what we buy. In tandem, I think there is an urgent need for fashion brands to start having radically different, courageous conversations about the implications of selling a lot less new stuff. So, in 2022, enough was enough and I left my job and completed the MA Fashion Futures at London College of Fashion in 2024.

I’ve spent the last two years mapping the secondhand market as it is today, and exploring how changing consumption patterns and new technology are shaping its future. My research reveals the secondhand market as a highly creative and entrepreneurial space, oversaturated with stock, filled with people committed to changing the status quo, and surfaces many opportunities for it to innovate, evolve and grow.

I want to understand whether fashion’s future could, or should for environmental reasons, be secondhand and exploring how businesses, charities, governments, local communities and individuals could support and enable this transition.

If you want to follow my research, or would like to be part of it, then subscribe to my instagram or my website for regular updates.