Take an old campervan named Florence, add Great Grandad Edward's tailoring expertise, plus the incredible work of Florence Nightingale...and you've got Florence Saves Clothes.
The Florence Saves Clothes story
Sally first worked in the fashion industry where she was lucky enough to make tour clothes for the likes of the late George Michaels and the Rolling Stones. Later, she began writing and public relations. In 2023, she put these loves together to help people transform their clothes intead of throwing them out.
Our Italian mobile mending van is called Florence, after the great nurse and social reformer Florence Nightingale, and the beautiful Italian city. This retired campervan provides a cosy space to help people save their clothes AND the planet.
Sally's Great Grandad Edward learnt tailoring in the North England orphanage where he lived. Later, the successful craftsman returned there to teach boys liike himself a reliable trade, making clothes to last. Sally hopes Florence Saves Clothes will do him proud.
Part of our ethos, or kaupapa, is making it easy for people to do good. We know that finding time for clothing repair and revamp is hard. That's why we bring Florence to you. Ask Sally about coming to your home or workplace.
More inspiration to keep clothes alive longer
It was watching this video before a short trip to Italy in 2023 that confirmed where Sally was going: Florence. This beautiful city was is just a short train ride from Prato, the town that has been recycling clothes for over one hundred years. On a day trip to the town’s remarkable textile museum and exhibition space, Museo del Tessuto, Sally saw a life-changing example of how we should be producing and recycling clothes.
It helped to cement one of Florence Saves Clothes’ foundations: use what you have.
We reuse components like zips and buttons from carefully deconstructed, unuseable garments. These garments are often cut up into patches or pieces for new clothes and accessories.
When we’ve used everything we can, Florence works with textile recycling companies to turn waste fabric into other products.
