Demelza’s Rochester shop links up with MidKent College on unique upcycling project

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 clothing 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.”

The year-long L1 Progression course is for 16 to 18-year-olds who have special education needs, didn’t receive the grades to be accepted onto vocational courses or haven’t been in education at all. As well as giving students the qualifications to progress in education, the course also equips them with social and life skills and helps them build their confidence.

As well as more creative aspects such as working on the denim clothing, the course also includes elements on budgeting, health and hygiene, road safety and interview skills.

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.”

One of the students involved is 17-year-old Abbie. She 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 project has been such a success that they are planning to expand it to upcycling bric-a-brac which comes into the shop and the students are also planning a fashion show to raise money for Demelza, which will include other areas of the college such as the hair and beauty students.

The 24 completed items were handed back over to the Demelza shop on Rochester High Street at a special event this morning (Thursday 22 May) and the items will be available to purchase towards the end of June, when the shop’s window display will be transformed for National Upcycling Day.