About Us

WELCOME TO GREEN HEART COLLECTIVE

THE GREEN HEART COLLECTIVE STORY

Founded by Andy and Helen Redfern in December 2019, Green Heart Collective (find out how we came to be called Green Heart Collective below) began selling preloved clothing online throughout 2020. From 4 January 2021, Green Heart Collective was based in a warehouse in Team Valley, Gateshead. We moved premises in August 2023 and opened an independent preloved shop on Gateshead High Street. The shop housed a vegan cafe and hosted a variety of workshops all with a focus of reducing waste and promoting sustainability. The High Street shop closed in June 2026 and Green Heart moved to a much smaller workshop space in Greenesfield Business Centre as a base for developing upcycling and sewing skills.

Green Heart Collective is a trading division and wholly owned subsidiary of Green Heart NE CIC. Green Heart NE CIC exists to create a resilient and diverse network of individuals, makers and organisations in Gateshead, all committed to creativity, community and sustainability. 

WHY GREEN HEART?

Helen and Andy have been exploring together what it is to live and work in an ethical and sustainable way for over 30 years. From those early days of running fair trade stalls and buying ARK household cleaning products through to recent climate activism, the pair have always sought to live life with a green heart.

Green Heart Collective grew from a deep passion to respond in a practical way to the stark reality of the climate emergency that the planet is facing right now. The pair know that they cannot do this alone and need a community of like-minded people to join them on this journey of courageous action, conscious choices and shared experience.

Coming up with a company name is never easy but GREEN HEART felt so right: green for nature and supporting the planet, heart for passion and love and relationship. The COLLECTIVE was the next part of the dream - to build a resilient community to support and inspire one another and to create a joyful space with a green heart, modelling sustainable consumerism.

‘Over the last few years, my dream has taken shape to create a community of people committed to changing the way they live and shop with a view to changing the world – a Green Heart Collective – and there has never been a better time to turn that vision into a reality.’  - Helen Redfern

Whether you’re looking for excellent customer service from a reliable small business, imaginative one of a kind designs, practical sewing lessons in a welcoming setting or thought-provoking articles about how to thrive in community, Green Heart Collective offers the perfect blend of sustainability, creativity and community.

OUR VALUES

RESPECT

We will treat everyone we meet with the same level of respect, putting people & planet before profit. 

COMPASSION

We will show compassion for all living beings, including ourselves, allowing time & space for kindness & connection.

INTEGRITY

We will be transparent and accountable, willing to admit our mistakes & to put things right where possible.

COURAGE

We will stand up for what is right and speak out for those who have no voice.

EXPLORE THE VISION

SUSTAINABILITY

The Green Heart vision has always been to reduce waste and challenge overconsumption. This work has particularly been focussed around clothing and the detrimental effect on the planet of the fast fashion industry. 

CREATIVITY

There’s a joy that comes from creativity that underpins all that we do. We welcome new ideas and embrace imagination in our upcycling and curated collections.

COMMUNITY

Green Heart has been building a community of like-minded individuals who love to come together to discuss what is on their minds, share ideas and learn together - whether that be about learning to sew or learning to live in this world that we find ourselves in.