Sustainable Young Makers 2024 & 2025
The Sustainable Young Makers Programme supports young people aged 18-30 who live or work in London — originally in the boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets, now extended to include Newham and Waltham Forest — to establish their creative businesses using sustainable approaches. The programme was co-designed by Yodomo, with Hackney Wick and Fish Island Community Development Trust and The Trampery, and supported by the Mayor of London and SEGRO.
Each cohort of six young makers was invited to share Yodomo's studio space at the Textile Reuse Hub, take part in a business development programme, and participate in a showcase event hosted at The Trampery, devised as a networking opportunity to connect them with wider industry contacts.
As part of the programme, the Sustainable Young Makers are given access to resources and insights into the creative industry to help them upscale their creative businesses responsibly. Over the course of the programme, they work alongside the Yodomo team at the Textile Reuse Hub and use the studio as a place to design and create, with access to specialist machinery. They gain 1-2-1 mentorship with leading fashion and textile industry leaders from brands including Vivienne Westwood and Nike, as well as access to bespoke events tailored to their needs. At the end of each programme, the Sustainable Young Makers share their work with wider industry networks as part of a showcase event.
Cohort 1 (2023/2024)
The first cohort of six makers — Anisah Yaminah, Charlie Catlow, Francesca Taddeo, Fred Redman, Lorna Isles and Megan Taylor — used the programme to develop their practices and launch their ranges, showcasing and selling direct to the public at The Trampery Fish Island Village. Grants for the 2023/2024 programme were provided by local youth charity Rise Up East!
Anisah Yaminah specialises in woven textiles that narrate stories of nostalgia, memory and childhood, drawing on her Bangladeshi heritage and London roots. She was mentored by Janine Terese Kok of Freeweaver Studio.
Charlie Catlow is a menswear designer blending past and futuristic references into a new aesthetic for the modern man, working with psychedelic graphics and optical illusions. He was mentored by Sebastian Bird, womenswear designer at Whistles.
Francesca Taddeo is a Hackney-based fashion designer known for one-of-a-kind co-ordinate sets, bucket hats and workwear-style pieces, developed through a love of screen printing and tie-dying. She was mentored by Lydia Bolton, a zero-waste slow fashion designer working with deadstock and thrifted fabrics.
Fred Redman founded his brand, SeeingRed, during the 2020 lockdown, collaging locally sourced deadstock and recycled materials into modular, transformable garments inspired by historical workwear. He was mentored by Joanne Jorgensen, Knit Design Director at Nike's Textile Design and Innovation Studio in London.
Lorna Isles brings a background in costume design for contemporary dance to ISLES, her bridal wear business creating distinctive, environmentally conscious wedding dresses with a life beyond the big day. She was mentored by Federica Bruno, Bridal Collection Senior Manager at Vivienne Westwood.
Megan Taylor founded Bou Soie, a clothing line cut from plant-based materials and handmade in London by local machinists, with garments delivered by bike to cut shipping emissions. She was mentored by Mo Riach, Founder of Nàdarra.
Cohort 2 (2025)
The 2025 cohort — Fyona Seguin, Grace Parker, Hannah Smit, Harvey Stillwell, Lucy Kerr and Piarvé Wetshi — ran until May 2025 and included a six-week business development programme, 1-2-1 mentorship, membership at The Trampery at Fish Island, and a showcase event at The Gallery in The Trampery Fish Island. This cohort was supported by SEGRO, The Trampery and the Mayor of London.
Fyona Seguin is an innovator behind Looply, a community-driven initiative upcycling single-use soft plastics into functional, reusable products.
Grace Parker is a fashion designer creating one-of-a-kind pieces using deadstock, with experience through internships at Richard Quinn, Conner Ives and Ciment Pleating.
Hannah Smit is a visual artist and workshop facilitator using fabric scraps and waste materials to explore storytelling and archiving, drawing on African and African diasporic textile traditions.
Harvey Stillwell is a fashion creative developing a specialty store and DIY print studio for rare vintage fashion, subcultural collectables and hand-screenprinted clothing.
Lucy Kerr is a bio-material and spatial designer who founded Wet Blue, repurposing wet blue leather waste shavings into paper alternatives for interiors.
Piarvé Wetshi, co-founder of Colèchi, explores agricultural waste in textiles and was recognised as a Vogue Business Innovator 2024 and featured on Elle UK's Green List.
Textile Reuse Hub Weaving Residency: Alongside the 2025 cohort, three local young weavers — Anisah Yaminah, Nowshin Prenon and Tanjina Begum — completed a three-month weaving residency at the Hub, working with post-industry yarns on a loom funded by the Mayor of London and running public workshops on wrapping and winding techniques.