Chloe Haywood is a thrifty entrepreneurial fashionista. She’s actively mentoring sustainable businesses on circular fashion with the experience gained in her own brand and rebranding. She creates UGC content for sustainable brands. She runs RewardRobe that collects and recycles waste fashion and accessories. And she sells her own upcycled fashion at Chloe Haywood London.
Throughout the theme of reducing waste, reusing and re-loving has been a thread. She has been promoting circular fashion since long before it was fashionable.
She lives out her slow fashion ethos in her daily life. In 2006 when she married her husband Steve, she wore a second-hand 1930s dress (Metro). The dress was upcycled and repaired with silver and gold thread, beads, sequins and diamante to cover up the moth holes. The groom wore his father-in-law’s morning suit, in memory of her father who had passed away.
Chloe dresses her sons in clothes from Vinted, often saving significantly on brand new clothing from well-known brands. She’s also worn a rented dress on the red carpet at a film premiere at the British Film Institute. Purchasing the outfit would have cost her over £3,000 but the hired dress cost ‘nothing like that’ and it could be returned.
This summer, Chloe designed and made a beautiful skirt from material donated by the Royal Ballet and Opera House to Blue Patch. The piece, called ContiNEWity, was exhibited at the Blue Patch ‘Pull My Thread’ exhibition in John Ruskin’s former home Brantwood. An extra special feature of the skirt was the gold cord embellishment. The gold cord had been given to Chloe by her mother.
Chloe continued her collaboration with the Manchester Art Gallery after the Blue Patch ‘Happy Planet Store’ pop-up in 2022. Her decorative applique patches were commissioned for the ‘Unpicking Couture’ exhibition. They subsequently sold out, though applique patches are still available in her own online store.
Circular fashion projects
At this time of year Chloe is busy in her sewing room making products from recycled cashmere jumpers and decorating them with motifs. She makes mini hot water bottle covers, sequin star Christmas tree decorations, and hand warmers. She also upcycles cashmere jumpers with applique and sparkle.
When she is not in her workroom, Chloe works with startup sustainable fashion businesses who she mentors through the trials of the early stages and teaches about marketing. More recently, in September this year she launched RewardRobe. RewardRobe collects textile waste from film, theatre and TV production companies.
After washing and cleaning the clothes and accessories, they are sorted for resale, repair or upcycling. This is a perfect example of a circular economy from an acclaimed circular fashion designer. Chloe’s experience in this field predates the fashionable trend towards more sustainable fashion. She is the perfect person to drive this project forward.
Contact Chloe if you are interested in any of her projects. You can buy her upcycled fashion and accessories on her online store. Visit the Blue Patch directory for more sustainable fashion ideas or apply for membership if you run a circular fashion business.
