katcha bilek

Female

bristol

United Kingdom

Profile Information:

Profession / role:

eco and ethical designer

Company / organisation:

re-Collect

Website (if you have one):

www.re-collect.net

My primary role in relation to fashion is:

Designer, Supplier, Manufacturer

I am looking to discover or buy

Fair trade. Less waste. Environmentally friendly everything. Artists, designers, doers, makers, and anyone who knows anything about running a business.

About me / About business or organisation:

In 2007 I set up my fashion & recycling company re-Collect. Recycling and Design come naturally to me. I love the creative challenge of transforming discarded objects into useful and beautiful products; I have an inherent disapproval of waste which makes me a kind of eco-warrior; I love beauty and originality, which draws me to the fashion-world; and I've always been pretty skint which means I've had to be crafty and stylish rather than a follower of fashion.

My new collection is called re-Collect. I use tractor inner tubes, car seatbelts and bike tyres, all collected from local repair centres and car-breakers. Everything is hand made locally, cut and sewn by hand with no use of electrical machinery or children. The hard-wearing materials are a great alternative to leather and due to the nature of the material each product is unique. A bag can be cut from the same pattern as another but the outcome will always be different.

Career history / Company history:

Art-recycle workshop leader.
Events and bar-decor.
Online-newspaper editor and a freelance graphic designer.
In the past I've had lots of language jobs - teaching, proof-reading, editing, translating.

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