For the last year, ReFAB was happily at home at SPPARC, an architecture practice led by the supremely talented architect - Trevor Morriss. 

Trevor’s generous donation of space came at a time when ReFAB's fabric and products were beginning to spill out of every available cupboard at our previous location. Needless to say, my team, my family (and my shelves) were relieved. 

Working from SPPARC’s studio was an exciting experience for us, with a mix of people popping in and out to see what we were doing, sharing design ideas, and purchasing our pieces. It was great fun and we learned a lot. We also became a lot stronger, climbing to the workshops in their beautifully renovated Bedford Square townhouse office, often carrying boxes of fabrics and products, fortunately with the help of the SPPARCitect team.

Trevor and I share a common love for repurposing spaces and buildings into beautiful new avatars. Regeneration has been a common thread running through my career as an architect and urban designer. Breathing new life and possibilities into unused derelict sites is both challenging and deeply fulfilling. It is vital in this age of climate crisis. ReFAB carries across that same love for repurposing to unused fabrics that carry life and beauty. 

Apparently, almost 30% of all waste in landfill sites in the UK comes from the construction sector, which is responsible for about 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The fashion and textile sector creates 10% of global carbon emissions—more than international flights and maritime shipping. The use of water and discharge of effluents are also significant challenges. Ultimately, in either industry, we simply do not have the resources to keep producing with new materials.

The fashion (clothing) industry seems to be making an effort by developing sustainable raw materials and innovative ways of recycling and repurposing clothing. The interior design industry, however, seems to be lagging behind.

Home Interiors 2023 reports that about 400,000 tonnes of fabric enter UK landfills each year from the home décor industry. It is unclear how much of it is fabric that can be upcycled. While companies like YODOMO and Haines do a great job of reselling remnants, ReFAB focuses on the smaller, oddly shaped remnants which are not easy to resell but still have plenty of life in them. 

Over the past year, we have connected with interior designers who love the idea of using upcycled products in their projects, but only if it can be easily incorporated into their workflow: an interior designer usually sifts through a wide fabric range to find something that matches their mood boards. This is followed by efficient design, production, and competitive pricing. Any high-quality upcycling involves a laborious process of sourcing, sorting, designing, and tailoring to a high standard. It is inherently slow, selective, and often more expensive. It’s not an easy fit.

In fact, most repurposing is more complex and therefore more expensive than business-as-usual production, whether it involves the regeneration of a brownfield site or the upcycling of discarded fabric into a cushion cover. However, what repurposing does offer is an exclusive character and value to the planet. It doesn’t cost the earth.
All our brainstorming finally came down to this conclusion: if fabric remnants of the interiors industry are to be usefully repurposed for interior designers, then both systems and behaviours must change. 

Creative solutions are slowly emerging, and we have some brave early adopters willing to lead the change. Kit Kemp is already doing a magnificent job of using her own textile remnants at Firmdale Hotels. 

Towards the end of our stay at SPPARC, I had the opportunity to organise a visit for a group of architects from Belgium to Borough Yards. This award-winning project by SPPARC is a brilliant example of repurposing a neglected area into a place buzzing with character.

I watched the architects walk around, absorbing the magic of the place, carrying with them their bespoke ReFAB totes made from stunning Designers Guild remnants. I felt the urban fabric smile, as did I, with some hope and fulfilment.

Rewati Prabhu
Founder, ReFAB