Take Five with Lydia Bolton
Get to know this upcycler and dive in to her eco-friendly faves!
Take Five is a guest series on AND I’VE BEEN SAYING THAT! These posts feature internet friends & inspirations in the eco-fashion space, detailing what you should know about them and what their 5 favorite environmentally-conscious things are at the moment. Consider it a jumping-off point to get to know them + why I consider them as part of the community. I also share where you can find them and/or their work x
Dearest friends (and foes who hate-read!!),
This weekend’s double-billing of And I’ve Been Saying That! is particularly special, in no small part to my guest on Take Five today. In my first year living in the UK, I dove head first into the slow fashion scene in London and Brighton. I came out with incredible vintage finds and a familiarity with local indie labels and female-owned startups across the business — Damson Madder, Good Squish (Devon Lee Carlson has apparently joined the massive scrunchie club now), and Rixo, to name a few. One in particular caught my eye and was one of the first additions to my closet: a patchwork knitted vest with embroidered flowers by one Lydia Bolton, pictured above.
Lydia Bolton is the founder of her self-titled luxury sustainable brand, known in the slow fashion space for turning unwanted textiles into beautiful, accessible womenswear and accessories. At the moment, she spends time leading scrunchie upcycling workshops, selling out tie-front blouses made from tea towels, and implementing her vibrant, eclectic style in collaborative partnerships with brands like Nike, River Island and Ecover. She’s inviting, deeply knowledgeable about reducing fashion waste, and does a damn good job of community building and knowing what the people want. I am so excited for you all to get to know her better today!
Textile waste is one of fashion’s biggest issues which you have decided to tackle through upcycling. Are your positions on the issue, as both a consumer and someone who works with businesses to help them make good use of their respective waste, mutually exclusive?
My brand’s purpose and my personal values are very much intertwined - my brand was built off wanting my career to be more aligned and reflective of how I lived in my personal life and the importance of trying to live in a more sustainable way. After quitting my job as a design assistant and learning about the vast quantities of textile waste, I saw how I could use my skills as a designer and maker to provide my own, small solution.
What does the phrase “customer-led design process” mean to you, and how does it differ from mainstream fashion production?
Mainstream fashion production tends to work off trends and past sales data to inform future designs and use marketing to show customers why they need to buy the products. With customer-led design, the customers give their input and share their thoughts along the design and production process so the end result is more of a co-creation.
To me, customer-led design has a far more community centered approach; by listening to and valuing your customers thoughts along the process, you can release products that really solve a problem for them and are what they are after. This in turn helps reduce waste from unsold stock. I use my IG to understand what my community is looking for and how I can make products or services that are aligned with my upcycling and creative approach, but also what my customers are after.
Is there a difference to how you shop for your closet vs your up cycling projects?
I would say I don’t shop a huge amount personally. I love looking at how clothing is made and getting inspiration, but as I have so many 2nd hand materials for remaking, I don’t want to add hugely to my belongings by purchasing loads of clothes! I try hard to step out of the consumption cycle and will buy 2nd hand or from independent brands. If I see something I really love, I try to wait a month before buying it so I’m really only buying pieces I know I’ll wear and love for a long time. I really like
’s Rule of 5 where you only buy 5 new items a year (though I probably do buy closer to 10, but 90% of them are second hand). *Editor’s note: I’m doing the Rule of 5 new/10 used this year too, and plan to give you all a follow up on the process!
What is your style formula?
Generally, it’s “can I wear this in lots of ways with different pieces?” I’m quite a practical dresser, and like to be comfortable as I’m often walking/running around all day doing various things. I love wearing shirts and these are currently one of my favourite things to upcycle as they can be recreated in so many different ways.
What has been the most profound learning since you started running upcycling workshops?
The meditative element that it brings to people who are less used to working with their hands. I knew people would enjoy the aspect of learning a new skill and be interested in the sustainable practice, but the main feedback is usually how much they enjoyed reconnecting with their hands and physically making something. Not only does it give a rare break from your phone, but a real sense of accomplishment when you start the class not knowing how to do something and then leave with a cute, hand made item or repair. I run scrunchie making workshops in my studio and each time, it’s so fun seeing how excited attendees are by their finished scrunchie and how much they have enjoyed it.
What projects are on the horizon (real or dream!) that you’re excited about?
I’m really excited that I’ve built such a diverse brand - it’s a full mix of products, educational, sharing ideas on socials and collaborations all centered around upcycling and valuing the materials we have already in existence. So just continuing to work in such a variety of ways and with different brands, from workshops to partnerships, to help creatively tackle textile waste.
LYDIA’S FIVE FAVES
Oddbox - veggie delivery service that helps fight food waste
Are You Mad - a creative collective who recycle plastic
Fussy - refillable natural deodorant
Too Good To Go - again helping with food waste (by partnering with local businesses to sell their day-old baked goods, etc)
Stripe & Stare - underwear & loungewear made from Tencel, so it’s biodegradable.
*Editor’s note: I LOVE STRIPE & STARE!! Super cute and comfortable intimate sets.
Huge thanks to Lydia for penning her answers in a crazy, exciting, jam-packed time for her!! I hope you learned a little bit more about upcycling in the world of circular fashion, and hope to see more people joining Lydia in reducing our clothing waste in uber-fashionable ways. I’ll catch up with you all next week as I reminisce on my time in London coming to a close and what’s still up in the air.
Ryann x
You can find Lydia Bolton on IG here, and her site for all workshops and upcycling drops here.
ICYMI
Bringing you summer casual dressing wrapped up in an aesthetically pleasing bow — I present to you Summer Camp.
If you liked this guest post, take a look the last one I did with fellow lovely Substacker Emily North…
This was so great Ryann!
And above all, welcome to the UK, I hope you are enjoying it so far. Where are you based?!