ANYA HINDMARCH

I’m Not A Plastic Bag launched in 2007. Is the change and awareness around waste where you thought it would be today?

“No, hence why we felt it was time to do this project again. However the discussion has moved on from one of just avoiding plastic to one of circularity of materials. There is 8 billion tonnes of plastic already on the planet – the question now is how can we reuse what there already is and save it from landfill? Someone once said to me, 'when you throw something away, there is no away’. That has been rattling around in my brain since the 2007 I’m Not A Plastic Bag project.”

Is there anyone in the fashion industry (or any industry for that matter) who is doing circular and closed-loop manufacturing that you look to for inspiration?

“There are lots of people. But I think the most impressive people are the organisations who research and promote solutions. I admire Nina Marenzi from The Sustainable Angle who has trade shows of materials for designers that are better for the planet. This helps make it a reality. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is also an incredible resource on this subject.”

What do you think the biggest misconception about the recycling of plastic is?

“If plastic is properly recycled in a closed-loop way, it is actually quite an effective process and lightweight material – it’s not such a villain. It is the misuse of plastic that is the problem – when it ends up in hedgerows and oceans. Keep the plastic bottle you have now and wash it and reuse it for years. You don’t need to buy a heavy aluminium bottle instead.”

If you could communicate any message to the masses about sustainability, what would it be?

“It is about common sense. Imagine that you had to bury everything you didn’t recycle or compost in your own garden. Would you keep burying it, or would you stop taking virgin plastic and throwing it away. Would you try to use the materials we already have again and again rather than throwing them away and making new ones? That is what circularity is about. It is not rocket science!”

It took two years to develop the rPET material used for I Am A Plastic Bag. What was the most difficult part of the process?

“Trying to make something that felt like a luxurious cotton canvas. Because it behaved so much like a cotton canvas, it needed a coating to stop it getting dirty and we wanted this coating to be recycled. So, we coated it with recycled PVB from windscreens – the bit that stops the windscreen shattering.”

If we took a look inside your I’m Not A Plastic Bag today, what would we find?

“It is currently my work-from-home design filing cabinet. It has all my design files, line sheets, leather swatches, earbuds for every Zoom meeting, sunglasses and my Kaweco rotating pencil. You’ll also find the book I am meant to be reading for my book club Clothes... and Other Things That Matter by Alexandra Shulman.”

Where do you see the future of the textile industry in 10 years?

“I think and hope that using recycled materials will become the norm and that waste will be a big focus. There is no waste in nature. It is so efficient. We as an industry also need to focus on waste.”

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

“Who knows! Hopefully still doing projects that marry beautiful craftsmanship with making a difference. I am less interested in fashion per se these days. It is about making things that have meaning. there is too much waste in fashion.”

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

“Never give up. And if you do things, things happen.”