Sometimes I wonder if we’re doing sustainability the wrong way round. We pour thousands into adult re-education, fund awareness campaigns for 30-somethings, and guilt people into changing habits they’ve had since childhood. But what if we just started earlier? Like, way earlier. What if we stopped trying to rewire adults and instead focused on wiring kids properly from the start? It sounds simple, but when you really think about it, the way we raise children to understand value could be the missing link in the whole sustainable fashion movement.
By the time someone’s in their twenties, their understanding of money, ownership, and consumption is already baked in. They’ve grown up watching haul videos, hearing “retail therapy” as a punchline, and being praised for getting five outfits for under £20. It’s not just habits they’re learning, it’s values.
When kids are young, they’re basically sponges. They absorb everything, from the value you place on clothes, to the way you talk about money, to how you treat stuff once it’s ‘not new’ anymore. And by the time they hit secondary school, those values are pretty much set. A 2022 study from the University of Leeds showed that children as young as seven start forming strong brand attachments and link self-worth to owning certain products. Seven. Which means fast fashion messaging is reaching them before most of them even know how to multiply and by the time they’re old enough to understand the environmental damage of overconsumption, they’re already deep in the mindset that more is better.
So maybe the big shift doesn’t come from a massive industry overhaul or even viral campaigns. Maybe it starts in Year 2. Maybe we need to embed ideas like garment repair, textile respect, and conscious creativity right into the curriculum. Like, if we’re teaching kids to tell the time and understand the water cycle, why not show them how to patch their jeans or explain where cotton actually comes from?
According to the British Heart Foundation, 79% of UK children have never been taught how to sew. And 63% don’t know how to fix a rip or alter a hem. That’s not their fault, obviously, it just means we haven’t prioritised practical, circular skills in school the way we do algebra or spelling tests. But here’s the thing: when kids are taught basic fashion repair and reuse in school settings, they actually retain it. A 2023 WRAP report found that children who took part in school-based textile education were 48% more likely to reuse and repair clothes at home. Their parents even reported lower clothing waste in the household. It’s not just an investment in education, it’s a domino effect for whole communities. When you teach kids, you teach households. That’s not just a win for sustainability, it’s a win for family budgets and confidence too.
And saying “don’t buy fast fashion” to a 10-year old means nothing unless they know how to make their clothes last. It’s like telling someone not to eat junk food without teaching them how to cook. We need to replace guilt with skills. If kids grow up with a natural understanding of how long clothes take to make, where materials come from, and how to fix and rewear outfits, then the idea of buying a £3 top that’ll fall apart after two washes just won’t appeal to them. They’ll see right through it.
I’ve seen the proof first-hand. When I ran a series of upcycling workshops over 5 weeks with Factory International in 5 high schools in Manchester, the kids were full of untapped potential. They were learning how to upcycle and patchwork, repair and embellish. Some even going on to tell me about how they’ve repaired their uniforms using the skills they’ve learnt. At only 13/14 years old, they were already talking about fast fashion like they got it. Not just the environmental stuff, but the emotional side too. Why they wanted their clothes to feel personal, or why it was cool to wear something nobody else had. That kind of thinking doesn’t need to be reconditioned later. It’s already there. You just have to create the space for it.
And I’m not saying we need to turn every 10-year old into a little Vivienne Westwood. It’s not about forcing eco-agendas onto kids, it’s about giving them options. Tools. Agency. Teaching them that fashion isn’t just about buying trends off TikTok, it’s also about storytelling, creativity, culture, and care. If you understand the effort and energy that goes into making one garment, you’re less likely to throw it away after two wears.
We talk a lot about the future of fashion, but rarely do we talk about the future of values.
The idea is simple: if value is taught early, fast fashion loses its grip before it even gets a chance to hook them. The pressure to look new every day, to keep up with trends, to see clothes as disposable, all of that weakens when you’ve been raised to see clothing as something worth looking after. And imagine how that could ripple out. Less waste, more appreciation, and a whole generation of young people growing up without having to unlearn toxic consumer habits later.
So maybe the future of sustainable fashion isn’t just about new materials or fancy circular tech. Maybe it’s about colouring pencils, classroom repair kits, and a little space on the timetable for sewing and rethinking what we wear. Starting with the kids. The adults might just follow.