Psychologies UK 04.2020

88 PSYCHOLOGIES MAGAZINEAPRIL 2020

New

series

Fashionista with a conscience Kate McGuire helps

us convert our old clothes instead of buying new

ones. This month, let’s embellish our plain jumpers

Zhoosh up your

knitwear

KNITS ARE THE

ultimate hygge hug

and, with a few

detachable elements,

you can take them from cosy to chic

(and back again) to suit your mood.

After falling down the stairs and breaking

her neck, Heidi Herkes was paralysed from

the chest down. She now runs a personal

style consultancy for women with physical

limitations. ‘After my accident, I lost my

identity and confi dence. I knew I was

destined to be in a wheelchair for the rest

of my life, but I didn’t want it to defi ne me.

I want people to see Heidi, not “Heidi in a

chair”. Clothes were a huge part of that

journey – fi nding the right styles and colours

gave me the power to express the “new” me.

‘I love the vivid colour of this M&S

jumper,’ says Heidi, ‘but the neckline looks

a bit frumpy so I don’t wear it much.’

The fi t was perfect so I created

detachable, elasticated cu‰ s and epaulettes,

allowing Heidi to style her jumper up or

down, depending on how she was feeling.

I bought wide elastic to create the base

of the slip-on cu‰ s and found the perfect

Chanel-esque ribbons in my haberdashery

heaven, VV Rouleaux. I cut the elastic

so it was tight around Heidi’s wrists and

sewed on the ribbon in the non-stretchy

direction to allow for easy expansion,

enabling Heidi to slide them on and

position them over her jumper cu‰ s.

Unique like me

For the epaulettes, I made the base out of

leftover elastic, covered them in ribbon

and created button holes. Sewing gold

buttons onto the shoulders means Heidi

can button on her epaulettes to dial up her

look, or display the buttons as they are.

‘I feel so glamorous!’ says Heidi. ‘The

embellishments defl ect perfectly from the

neckline and are a real conversation piece.

I love the fact that my jumper is now a

one-o‰ garment that feels very me.’

Clothes are never just clothes, they are

part of our identity and self-expression and

Heidi is testament to that. ‘It’s important

to keep challenging yourself and be brave

in your choices to build your self-worth,’

she says. Converting helps us push our

boundaries and discover new ways of

expressing ourselves in a sustainable way.

Kate McGuire is a sustainable fashion activist and

founder of the #conversion movement; @converted

closet; convertedcloset.com; vvrouleaux.com

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES

Did you know? Wool can be recycled and is biodegradable,

releasing valuable nutrients back into the ground in a relatively short

period, unlike synthetics. Can’t sew? You don’t need to! The machinist

at your local dry cleaners, or a tailor, can do the conversion for you.