Up Close with Waste Not Want Not's London Shirreff

Up Close with Waste Not Want Not's London Shirreff

Laura “London” Shirreff founded Waste Not Want Not in 2009, inspired by the charity thrift stores in her native UK. WNWN is a nonprofit organization that promotes recycling and sustainable DIY fashion. And it fits just perfectly in Providence where, London says, “artists were already instinctively using reclaimed materials.”  Camilla Hawthorne caught up with her recently to talk about fashion and reuse.

What’s the back-story of Waste Not Want Not?

I graduated from RISD with a degree in textiles. When I started to explore outside of College Hill, I realized that there is a lot of great artistic talent here, but not everyone is as privileged as the kids at RISD; they don’t have the same access to materials and equipment. But people could really make use of the materials that are just thrown out. RISD has programs that redistribute old art supplies, but they don’t have a system like that for clothes. Then the recession hit in December of 2008, and I was really drawn to do something that could help the community. I chatted with my friends in Providence, and realized that people wanted a thrift store with a cause. 

WNWN seems to have a quite a modern setup now: an online shop and a completely mobile “storefront” on a bike trailer…

We worked with Cornish (Associates) to get a retail space on Westminster; we got a deal on the rent because it was the recession and there were a lot of empty spaces downtown. Our store was there for four months, but the finances just weren’t working. But we did get great publicity, and held a lot of events. Now we’re focused on online sales, promoting our artists elsewhere. We’re also working to set up workshops and demonstrations about upcycling, recycling, and textiles. Next summer we hope to tour around the country doing fashion shows. We made a great splash in Providence, but we need to expand outward. 

What kind of clothing does WNWN now sell?

Our clothing rack is all artists’ clothing. I buy or commission pieces from artists to sell through WNWN. Our goal is to create a WNWN clothing line, with individual artists making pieces for the collection. We want it to have a unique “Providence” look that’s tied together by a particular attitude. 

What are your thoughts on eco-fashion among high-end designers? Is it just an upscale fad, or can it really make a meaningful impact?

Sometimes I think that it may just be a passing fad. For us, though, we want to build a WNWN label that is upscale, but when you buy the clothes you are supporting a local organization. We also want to inspire people to make their own work using recycled materials. 
 
For more information about Waste Not Want Not, visit their website at http://wnwnprovidence.org/. You can purchase upcycled clothing and accessories made by local designers at the WNWN online store.