For some teenagers, a gap in their A Level timetable is the perfect excuse to take a break for a few hours each week. But when Birmingham-based Kamara Bennett found a few hours spare in her study programme, chilling out was not on the agenda.

The 17-year-old decided she’d like to use her time to do some work with older people and got in touch with the youth volunteering programme Vinvolved, run by Changemakers.

The opportunities she was offered to work with older people didn’t fit with her timetable, but she was given the chance to create and lead a project of her choice instead. Rising to the challenge, she started researching ideas and quickly realised that clothes upcycling was becoming increasingly fashionable as a way of reducing clothes waste.

“I’d always been interested in taking things apart and putting back them together, I used to do that with my clothes at home. And, I liked the idea of a project focused on reducing waste, so I set up a venture called Sew Your Own,” explains Kamara.

Workshop wonders

Based at the Changemakers offices in Birmingham, she now runs regular Sew Your Own sessions attended by dozens of young people.

“We have all sorts of young people come to the workshops, from women in their early twenties, to boys as young as 12,” says Kamara. “Everyone helps each other learn techniques and skills for customisation and upcycling, and we’re lucky to have some very talented people involved, like local fashion students.”

“What I love most,” she says, “is seeing someone come in who is reluctant to use a sewing machine, and then a couple of weeks later you see them showing other people how to use it.”

Those coming to the sessions bring their own clothes, and some clothes are donated or picked up in charity shops. “Lots of people who come say the same thing - they’ve had a growing pile of clothes sat at home that they don’t wear any more but don’t want to throw out. At Sew Your Own they can cheaply create a new wardrobe from clothes they already had,” explains the entrepreneur.

Kamara has come across people who think that running Sew Your Own sounds like a lot of effort for someone so young. Other teenagers might prefer to be doing something less socially-minded, they say. But, she feels that running her enterprise - which has now been live for more than two years - has taught her so much.

“Having to manage the project and the people has definitely enhanced my leadership, planning and organisational skills,” Kamara says. “It’s given me a lot of opportunities, directly and indirectly, and a lot of confidence.”

For her dedication to supporting young people with this forward-thinking creative project, Kamara has earned herself a regional Vinvolved award, picking up a prize of £2,500. Additionally UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs and a charity called Nominet, have just allocated her £2,500 in their Better Net awards.

Making money

This money will see the 19-year-old develop the next phase of her enterprise and one which she hopes will bring in more funding to the business. Her business model already sees her making some money from selling upcycled clothes at events, but the new UnLtd cash will go towards creating online tutorials on clothes customisation, for which she plans to charge a fee.

“The videos will mean that a lot of young people across the country can benefit from what we are doing, not just those here in Birmingham,” Kamara explains.

“We also have a lot of talented people who work with us, but they are very busy and can’t always make it to the sessions, so this way, people will still be able to learn from them.”

The young entrepreneur is using the gap year she’s currently taking to spend more time building the business before she goes to university in September. She is getting advice from UnLtd, to help her keep developing her ideas into a thriving social enterprise.  

Kamara wants to make a profit and inspire people and something like Sew Your Own, which encourages young people to think about disposal fashion while learning new skills, seems to be a winning combination. With Kamara at the helm, national success is surely within easily within reach.

Connect
changemakers.org.uk/kamara