A while ago, we started asking ourselves one big question - How do we make more from making less?

This February, we have been making the most of what is in our pantry. Learning to make the delicious English dish, “bubble and squeak” If you don’t know already, this is a dish made from leftovers. It takes all the things you don’t know what to do with and puts them together to make one exquisite, balanced meal.

That's what we are doing this February.

We want to take you to the cutting room floor, the place where waste begins. 

We want to talk about waste. 

Why it happens and why we don’t consider a single scrap to be waste.

We want to try to answer some questions.

• Why does waste happen?

• Why does fabric get labelled as Deadstock?

• When does waste stop being our responsibility?

1. Why does waste happen, and what responsibility do we have for it?

Waste is an unavoidable part of making clothes. Because we manufacture as much as we can in the UK, we know exactly where our waste comes from. 

From the moment you cut a garment, inevitably, there will always be offcuts; it's what happens next that counts.

We can see the roll ends, the scraps and offcuts, and the surplus. And that makes it impossible to ignore.

So this is where the pantry comes in. To us, every scrap of waste is a potential waiting to happen. An opportunity.

2. Why does fabric get labelled as Deadstock?

We don’t use the word “deadstock”. It doesn’t sit right with us.

Fabric has taken time, energy, resources and skill to exist. 

From the moment it is grown in the fields to when it reaches the cutting room table, there are many skilled hands and hours gone into producing our cloth. We use our own prints, choose our cloth carefully so that makes it extra precious to us.

But sometimes we have fabric left over. The fashion industry calls this deadstock. But our fabric is not dead, it’s full of potential.

So we wait.

And then when it's time for the bubble and squeak, it's there for us. 

3. When does waste stop being our responsibility?

The answer is it doesn't. A piece of clothing doesn’t have to have just one story. We know clothing goes on to lead many lives. 

We are always working on this; it's a never-ending project. How do you make the garment last longer? Does it have a 2nd life, and what happens to it when it can no longer serve its purpose?

We don’t believe a garment’s life ends when it’s damaged or no longer loved.

If it’s broken, it can be repaired. If it’s tired, it can be cared for. And if it no longer fits your life, it doesn’t need to sit at the back of a wardrobe.

We have tried to solve this with our Pre-Loved scheme, where customers sell pieces back to us to be worn again. Our workshops focus on using materials we already have. Our sample sales, where imperfect garments are sold rather than discarded. 

And when it finally does reach the time it can't be worn any longer…

Well, we made decisions right at the start, through the design choices we make, the dyes we choose, the corozo nut buttons, the fabrics …. They are all designed for this, ready to go back to the soil.

So what is Palava cooking up from the pantry?

These questions don’t come with tidy answers. They’re ongoing conversations inside the business, and increasingly, with you.

But these questions inspired some projects we are cooking up.

We are focusing on making Bubble and Squeak, using everything we have to make something beautiful and delicious. 

 

What's on the menu …

Pyjama Release Coming on the 6th of February We are delighted to introduce our small collection of pyjamas.  Made using leftover rolls we’d saved over time, waiting until there was enough to make something special.  There wasn't quite enough left to make dresses, so we created something new.
	The Wool Blanket Project Coming on the 13th of February  We are using reclaimed wool alongside our own remnant fabrics. Turning old, discarded blankets into new, joyous outerwear.  Each and every piece in this project is unique. All of them were made with love and the intention to create something beautiful.
Workwear  Coming on the 20th of February Our workwear is made from the ends of fabric rolls.  Out of something that some would consider ‘deadstock’, we have created something new.  Made from stong durable fabrics, it is built to last and move with you throughout a busy day's work.
	Re-release  Coming on the 20th of February Do we actually need to be constantly coming up with and making new designs when we have leftovers?  In celebration of being more conscious of our consumption and waste, we are re-releasing some pieces from previous seasons that you all loved.  We’ve done this before, and we will continue doing this, but we wanted to explain why it is so important to us as a brand.
Lampshades  Coming on the 27th of February  We don’t always get it right. Sometimes we make too much of one thing and not enough of another.  So how do we make sure to get it right?  We let you choose first.  We are now going to be offering custom lampshades. You pick the fabric, and we make it upon request.
	Scrap Bundles  More to come on the 27th of February We’ve also been able to donate profits from these sales to charity, letting waste reduction feed back into the communities around us.  Waste exists. The question is whether we treat it as a problem to hide or something we take responsibility for. And this is how we choose to take responsibility for it and use it to build something.
Fabric archive  Coming on the 27th of February   Our fabric sales offer customers the chance to buy offcuts and remnants and turn them into new projects of their own.  We don’t always have enough to make something with it ourselves, so why not open up the possibilities?  We have so many creative and inspiring customers who want to use our prints to bring to life their ideas. We love seeing what they create.
	Visible mending workshop with Ali On the 7th of March  After such a lovely response last time, we’re pleased to be running another visible mending workshop with Ali as part of London Repair Week.  It’s a hands-on morning focusing on slowing down and learning a new skill. Fixing what you have and giving it a new lease on life.
Recycling projects  Coming soon…  What happens when what's left over can't be used to make anything else?  We have an exciting recycling project in the works.  Building a better future, recycling what we can't use. We are excited to share more when we can.