Buy Nothing New Month: Join FEL and Rethink Your Consumption Habits

Could you buy nothing new for just one month? Throughout November, the UK marks Buy Nothing New Month – a powerful movement urging consumers to rethink their habits, waste less, and resist the pull of fast fashion and mass consumption that peaks with Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Instead of impulse spending, the campaign encourages everyone to reuse, repair, upcycle, and repurpose what they already have – making conscious choices that reduce waste and carbon emissions while reshaping our relationship with clothing and consumption.

Why Buy Nothing New?

Every new item we buy carries an environmental cost from the water and energy used in its production to the fuel required for transport and delivery. According to research by Leeds University, Black Friday alone generates around 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, while 80% of impulse purchases (and their packaging) end up in landfill.

If everyone on Earth lived as resource-intensively as people in the UK, we’d need two and a half planets to sustain our lifestyles. It’s clear that events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday only push us further away from a sustainable future.

That’s why, this November, Fashion-Enter Ltd (FEL) is proudly supporting Buy Nothing New Month, joining a growing, global movement to rethink consumption and champion a circular economy – one that values quality, longevity, and creativity over quantity.

Fashion-Enter Ltd’s Circular Model: Repair, Reuse, and Reimagine

(United Repair Centre at FEL Haringay London)

At Fashion-Enter Ltd, sustainability is not a trend – it’s a transformation. The company’s north London factory, home to the United Repair Centre, is pioneering a new model for the fashion industry, built on principles of repair, upcycling, repurposing, and made-to-order manufacturing.

By offering repair and upcycling services, FEL is extending the life of garments and keeping valuable textiles out of landfill. Its made-to-order model eliminates overproduction, ensuring that each piece is crafted only when needed, a powerful step away from the wasteful cycles of fast fashion.

Meanwhile, the Fashion Technology Academy (FTA) trains the next generation of fashion professionals in slow fashion principles, equipping learners with the skills to create responsibly and repair skillfully.

(Stones: Reimagined collection for RS No.9 Carnaby Street produced by FEL)

Free Repair and Upcycle Sessions – Join the Movement

(Drop-in repair session at FC Designer Collective shop)

Aligned with Buy Nothing New Month, Fashion-Enter Ltd is hosting two free Repair and Upcycle sessions at the FC Designer Collective on Fonthill Road.

Participants are invited to bring their items of clothing, accessories, or textiles – for repair or creative upcycling. Experienced technicians and designers are on-hand to provide expert guidance, materials, and equipment in a welcoming, community-focused environment.

This initiative, supported by Islington Council, highlights how local collaboration and community creativity can drive meaningful change though our personal choices.

(Upcycled shorts at FC Designer Collective shop drop-in community session)

The Impact of Buy Nothing New Month

In January’s review of last year’s campaign:

• 73% of participants reported buying nothing new during the month,
• 75% reused or repurposed existing items, and
• 43% fixed, repaired, or mended something they owned.

These numbers show that small shifts in behaviour can lead to a big cultural change redefining what we value and how we consume.

A Recognised Movement for Change

The Buy Nothing New Month campaign has been widely celebrated for its impact, winning the 2024 National Award for Education, Training, and Communication at the National Sustainability Awards, and receiving the Silver Award for Behaviour Change Campaign of the Year at the 2024 Global Good Awards.

It stands proudly alongside international initiatives such as Buy Nothing Day and Australia’s Buy Nothing New movement, all calling for a rethink of how we consume and create.

Towards a More Sustainable Fashion Future

By supporting Buy Nothing New Month, Fashion-Enter Ltd is reinforcing its commitment to slow fashion, ethical production, and a circular economy. The company’s model from repairs and upcycling to made-to-order, repurposed manufacturing shows that the future of fashion can be both innovative and responsible.

As Black Friday approaches FEL invites everyone to pause before purchasing, value what already exists, and join the movement to buy nothing new.

Join Fashion-Enter Ltd this November for Buy Nothing New Month

Repair and Upcycle Drop-In at FC Designer Collective, 113-115 Fonthill Road, London N1. (Finsbury Park tube station) Tuesday 11th and Tuesday 25th November 10am – 4pm. These sessions are free but please register to confirm your place as space is limited, visit the FashionCapital eventbrite page.

For those wanting to learn more we offer a range of courses and apprenticeships through the FTA tap here to visit the website.

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