A Sheffield designer is championing sustainability by making clothes from preloved climbing ropes.
Natalia Pearce, 38, founded Scavenger in 2012 after studying product design at Sheffield Hallam University. Her passion for both sustainable fashion and climbing led to her combining the two.
“I came across this bin for collecting climbing gear just after I’d graduated,” she explained, “and I just wanted to see what the potential was for reusing the ropes and see what products I could come up with.”
The wider conversation around sustainability has been rife following the Conference of the Parties annual summit, and more specifically in fashion after more brands are committing to using recyclable materials in their supply chains. Earlier this year, a report from Zalando confirmed that 74% of people want to wear clothes more sustainably.
“There’s a lot of climbing walls in Sheffield and a lot of climbers, so it’s nice to give people the option to dispose of their climbing gear in a sustainable way,” Ms Pearce said. “People really enjoy seeing that their gear is getting a second life.”
The unique process begins with a phone-call from a climbing centre to collect bins of used rope.
Once they are retrieved, the ropes are then sorted by colour and size, before being cut into 3-4m strips. After their cores have been removed, they are then sewn into fabric strips.
“The ropes are the building blocks for all the fabric and the products that we make,” Ms Pearce said.
It’s a story that began in the attic of her dad’s house, a curtain acting as the only divide between her work and home life.
Now she operates from a studio perfectly situated beside the Foundry Climbing Centre.
“I always looked across from my old studio over to here and thought it would be perfect to be here” she added.
The company also collaborates with local artists and businesses often, one in particular being Hunk Print who gives vintage shirts a new lease of life by hand-screen printing them.
Scavenger will soon host an Open Studio event on the 1st of December where attendees can enjoy free hot spiced apple juice, mince pies, and giveaways.
You can also browse their selection of sustainable gifts and accessories.
