Nicola Sturgeon and Foundation Scotland support children's sustainable fashion shop in Glasgow

Nicola Sturgeon helped launch a children’s sustainable fashion and clothing exchange store in Glasgow on Friday.  

The initiative - ApparelXchange - is an independent fashion store for children, aged six to 16, in the Southside of the city. It is one of a number of independent local fashion and clothing shops in the Nithsdale Street area.

The First Minister met the team behind the social enterprise venture and children from two local schools, Shawlands Primary and Castleton Primary, who the owners have been working with on education projects. She said: “This is a brilliant initiative. I’m delighted to see it take root here in the community. Fashion is not just for adults. Sustainable fashion is important, and the circular economy is important.”

The venture aims to help parents with the cost of children’s clothing and reduce the environmental impact of throwaway fast fashion.

Izzie Eriksen, director of ApparelXchange, said: “It’s all about the impact of clothing on the environment and about the people who work in the industry and issues of forced labour. We want to enable people to access affordable sustainable fashion. People can be part of the change we need.”

Maria Law, of Foundation Scotland, which helped with grant and loan funding for the business, attended the launch.

She said: “We loved the initiative and the recycling element. So much children’s clothing ends up in landfill.”

She said Foundation Scotland will offer continuing business support as the venture develops, with mentoring and free advice on issues like marketing available should it be needed. “We want to help them build a sustainable business. This is a new type of business and very exciting.”