The Gals Behind Sustainable Fashion Are Rebranding And They Have Big Plans

If you haven’t heard of Sustainable Fashion Dublin, where have you been? They’ve taken Dublin by storm over the past two years runnings swap shops, charity shop crawls as well as a fantastic flea market in The Workman’s once a month.

The idea for Sustainable Fashion Dublin came in 2018 over a pint in Grogan’s pub (where all great ideas come from tbh) and Taz and Geraldine quickly became leaders in the area of sustainable fashion in Ireland.

The brains behind the project, Geraldine Carton and Taz Kelleher have big plans for the future, starting with a rebrand that launches today. The duo will now be known as The Useless Project.

Now Taz and Geraldine have an online community of over 35,000 people and felt the need for a name change. The new moniker comes from the idea that; “many of us feel useless in the face of our current climate crisis” but their advice is to ” simply to start small, connect more, and use less.”

If you’re already a fan of Sustainable Fashion Dublin, don’t fret the new name doesn’t mean they’re going anywhere! Their new website will have an online hub for anyone interested in becoming that little more sustainable on a daily basis as well as continuing all of their already fantastic events.

We caught up with them both to find out what got them so into sustainability in the first place?

Taz: I have always been interested in charity shopping and grew up in a household that was super practical about second hand. I ADORED going through my Grannies wardrobe and discovering gems that she used to rock.

Same with charity shops, I used to (and still do) adore finding receipts or shopping lists in the pockets of old jackets, anything that hints to it’s previous life. Charity shopping was definitely the catalyst for my sustainable journey and is still my favourite part.

Geraldine: Me on the other hand… I put my hands up and admit that I was knee deep in the fast fashion industry this time two years ago; regularly perusing (and purchasing from) high street retailers’ online sites whenever I felt the pang for some retail therapy. This, all whilst writing for a women’s fashion magazine who’s very raison d’etre was to promote consumerism; the one thing I find myself trying to fight against now!

For me, the interest in sustainable fashion started initially with a love for flea markets. I just adored the sense of connection that comes about when people pass on an item of clothing (and with it memories and experiences). This interest then meandered into charity shopping, but still I didn’t know much about “sustainable fashion”, so to speak. It was only once I had my eyes opened to the horrors of the fast fashion industry, that my fate was sealed and I haven’t looked back since!

Knowing these two this is sure to be an exciting new step, so watch this space!

• geraldine carton
• sustainable fashion dublin
• taz kelleher
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