Stitching a community together

As the buzz around Crispy’s business has grown, her focus has also shifted. In 2020, she started Slow Stitch Nomad, which included a series of online stitching workshops and a clothing upcycling project with fashion students at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, as well as community art initiatives. Next, she’ll expand her reach by taking her work to the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale – one of the world’s largest outdoor art festivals – in Japan in 2026, all the while continuing to encourage others to dress more sustainably.

“The most sustainable fashion is what already exists in your wardrobe,” says Crispy. “It’s all about buying less, choosing well and carefully considering each purchase. Do we really need a new organic tee or a new recycled polyester windbreaker? Upcycling uses the least resources. “More importantly, it also strengthens the bonds between us and what we already have.”

Dress for less

Get Redressed Month, organised by environmental NGO Redress, returns this month with the theme “Your Clothes, Our Planet”. Through clothing collection drives, volunteer clothes-sorting events and educational talks, this annual event promotes sustainable consumption and a circular lifespan for clothing. Shop year-round at The Redress Closet, the organisation’s second-hand shop in Sham Shui Po.

Three more second-hand shops

Green Ladies

Bring home high-quality pre-loved fashion – and, as a consignor, give your unworn clothes a new home.

Shop 8-9, UG, C. C. Wu Shopping Arcade, 302-308 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai Shop 116, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan G/F, 4 Hing Wan Street, Wan Chai

Midwest Vintage

A treasure trove of US-sourced vintage goods, including leather jackets, raglan tees and denim, plus one-of- a-kind upcycled goods.

Shop 20, G/F, Victoria Centre, 15 Watson Road, North Point Shop 203, 2/F, K11 Art Mall, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Shop 101, 1/F, 618 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok

Retrovert

A second-hand clothing platform which runs an online and physical shop, and hosts swap parties, upcycling workshops and community recycling initiatives.

2/F, 70 Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mong Kok