Fashion Action is Climate Action’ as communities across the UK come together to repair, swap, rewear, upcycle and rethink their relationship with clothes
Communities across the UK will come together this September for Sustainable Fashion Week 2026, with over 347 activities offering practical ways to challenge fast fashion and take climate action through the clothes people wear.
Taking place from Saturday 26 September to Sunday 4 October 2026, Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) is a grassroots movement presented by A Single Thread, connecting communities through a network of 41 regional hubs, and events across the country.
From London, Scotland and Wales to the Midlands, Northern England, East England, Northern Ireland, South East and South West England, communities will host clothes swaps, repair sessions, exhibitions, workshops and other events designed to help people buy less, keep clothes in use for longer and explore alternatives to fast fashion.
This year’s theme, Threads of Resistance, responds to a fashion culture built around relentless consumption. It is a call to resist the idea that individuals are powerless to make a difference and instead harness the collective impact of repairing, rewearing, swapping, buying secondhand and supporting independent makers and businesses.
And those actions add up. Since 2023, Sustainable Fashion Week activities have kept an estimated 70,640 items of clothing out of landfill through mending, swapping, repurposing and secondhand sales.
Amelia Twine, founder of Sustainable Fashion Week at A Single Thread, said: “Threads of Resistance is about recognising the power that already exists in our hands, our wardrobes and our wallets. The fashion industry encourages a constant cycle of buying and replacing, but choosing to repair something, swap it, buy secondhand or support an independent maker is a way of pushing back”.
“What makes Sustainable Fashion Week so powerful is that this action is happening in communities across the country. From learning how to mend a shirt to swapping clothes or discovering how textiles can be grown and made differently, these are practical actions that collectively challenge our reliance on fast fashion. Fashion action is climate action, and 347 events taking place across the UK show just how much appetite there is for doing things differently.”
Across the programme, the emphasis is on participation, with events offering opportunities to repair, swap, make, learn and explore where our clothes and textiles come from.
Among the packed programme, Rooted Textiles Festival in Madderty St Davids, Scotland are hosting a one day event celebrating the roots and sources of clothing and textiles. In Wales, Textile Junkies are hosting a series of workshops, while The Salvation Army Gorseinon are hosting a sustainable fashion show and kilo sale.
In the North of England, communities in Huddersfield can take action across events hosted by Thread Republic, including a screening of Fashion Reimagined. Students in Bradford can access workshops and sessions examining local heritage and makers, run by Bradford City Council Curriculum and Pathways team. Across Doncaster, Wirral and Manchester, creative workshops explore visible mending, upcycling with recycled fabrics and a collaborative community quilt project.
In London, events range from sustainable styling sessions and clothes swaps to pop-up markets, workshops on historical sewing and craft techniques, panel discussions and exhibitions across Crystal Palace, Islington, Farringdon and the south of London.
Across Birmingham, fashion skills sharing sessions encourage community conversations about sustainable style, alongside Birmingham City University who are hosting a Creative Carousel day for their students focusing on circular fashion practices.Wolverhampton sees the Future Threads sustainable fashion catwalk supported by Save The Children and primary school children from across the city.
Norwich University of the Arts has teamed up with New-U to host a range of events for students and locals alike to kickstart their sustainable fashion journey, including natural dyeing workshops and a sustainable fashion exhibition.Elsewhere, communities can get hands-on through natural dyeing and upcycling workshops, join mending circles and repair sessions, or exchange unwanted clothes at events across the South West of England can join others in Frome, Stroud, Dorset, Torquay, Bath, Norland College, Redruth, Wellington, the Cotswolds, Glastonbury and seven sites across Bristol.
Together, over 347 activities demonstrate how action on fashion can start locally, with independent hubs, makers, organisations and communities creating opportunities for people to participate on their doorstep.
The full UK programme of Sustainable Fashion Week events is available on the A Single Thread website, where events can be searched by location. Some activities are drop-in, while others have limited spaces and must be booked in advance.
Founded in 2021, Sustainable Fashion Week has grown into a grassroots movement powered by local action, bringing communities together to develop the skills, knowledge and connections needed to move away from fast fashion and build a more sustainable fashion system.