Our brilliant Progression students have joined forces with Demelza’s Rochester charity shop for a creative upcycling initiative, transforming donated denim clothing into bespoke fashion pieces.
The shop, known for its range of quirky and vintage items for sale, handed over a stock of donated jean jackets, shorts and other denim clothes to students on the L1 Progression course at the college’s Medway campus.
For the last three weeks, the students have been creating their own bespoke designs on the clothing, using fabric paint and pens as well as sewing on other materials to create completely unique pieces.
To adapt the items they have also used other material scraps from clothing which has been donated to Demelza shops but would otherwise have gone to rag as they weren’t good enough quality for sale, so the project has been a huge success for the charity’s sustainability drive. They will be displayed in the store and customers will have the chance to purchase the completely unique items, with all funds going to Demelza and its work to provide extraordinary care to extraordinary children with serious or life-limiting conditions.
Rochester Shop Manager Rachel O’Neill said the team at the shop have been upcycling denim jackets for a while and they sell quite quickly as customers appreciate the bespoke nature of the pieces. She said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been able to work with MidKent College students on this project.
“Our jackets have been so popular that we had more clothing coming in than we could upcycle, so to have the local college students involved is the perfect progression of that success as it benefits them as well as Demelza.
“Charity shopping is a great form of recycling as it keeps unwanted goods out of landfill, gives items a new lease of life and provides affordable shopping options for people. This project takes that to a whole new level as we’re using some material that would otherwise be scrapped, raising even more money than we would from selling a plain piece of clothing and customers get a one-of-a-kind piece. It’s a fantastic community project.”
Our Level 1 Progression course supports 16–18-year-olds who have special educational needs, missed out on previous qualifications, or have been out of education. The year-long course helps students gain academic qualifications while developing crucial life and social skills, from budgeting and hygiene to road safety and interview preparation.
Lecturer Kayleigh Oliver said: “A lot of the students haven’t been in school at all so there is always a focus on social skills and this project has been fantastic for them – they’ve all been talking and helping each other and sharing ideas. It’s really built their confidence. They have really enjoyed doing it and because it benefits charity as well they have been really excited about it and can’t wait to see their creations displayed in the shop.”
Progression student Abbie said: “I’ve been enjoying exploring all the different materials we’ve had to use and finding out what I like working with. I haven’t done anything like this before and I love that it’s for charity – I shop in charity shops a lot myself as it’s so much cheaper and you can find some really cool stuff.”
The success of the denim project has inspired plans to expand into upcycling bric-a-brac donated to the shop. The students are also excited to host a fashion show in the near future, with involvement from other areas of the College, including hair and beauty students.
We’re incredibly proud of our students’ creativity and hard work, and we can’t wait to see their designs take centre stage in Demelza’s shop window later this June for National Upcycling Day. This project has been a fantastic opportunity to learn, collaborate, and give back to the community – and we’re excited to see what comes next!
