Meet Sarah, Founder of Delightfully Denim

Delightfully Denim is based in Penshaw. It came about when maker and designer Sarah was looking for a new venture, but wanted to use upcycled clothing. Her store has a super range of items including bags and keyrings, cushion covers and coasters. 

On visiting a local church charity shop at St Nicholas with Christ Church in Dunston, Sarah discovered that the love of wearing jeans plus the fast fashion industry had resulted in charity shops being overwhelmed by jeans.

Sarah said: "We bought two bags full of the jeans that the charity shop was unable to sell - stained, full of holes, raggy bottoms or simply not fashionable... for Delightfully Denim it is all just fabric!"

"Using upcycled fabrics means we don't follow standard patterns, as we aren't starting with a square of perfect fabric. Often the jeans and denim "talks" to us and we choose the project to fit the fabric instead."

How do you squeeze the most workable material out of a pair of jeans?

"We have come up with our own designs and ideas that we are able to create using as much of each pair of jeans as possible. As the jeans are deconstructed each element is sorted and stored so that nothing goes to waste. Some elements are still awaiting an idea but we keep all the belt loops, pockets, zips and as we come up with new ideas we create new products."

Tell us about your upcycled chickens!

"Our most popular items over the last year have been our upcycled chickens,  which have given people a smile, and make an incredibly quirky gift for every occasion."

"Whether it is making chickens or cushion covers, we have found a way to use fast fashion to our advantage, but we always try and educate our customers about how our business works and why we are passionate about trying to change the world's throw away attitude to clothing." 

You can find Sarah's Etsy store here, and be sure to follow her across social media including Facebook and Instagram.