Q & A with Grace Emerson: Founder of Rethreaded

Grace Emerson, the 22-year-old British designer behind Rethreaded, is redefining sustainable streetwear by upcycling damaged textiles into one-of-a-kind menswear and accessories that blend Cotswolds rural heritage with bold streetwear silhouettes. Fresh from her MA at Jimmy Choo Academy, Grace's "make do and mend" philosophy celebrates visible mending, repair culture, and circular fashion, creating generational garments rich with emotional value and imperfection as beauty.

This year, Grace joins Fashion Summit 2025 via LOCAL POWER, showcasing Rethreaded's upcycled streetwear alongside emerging UK and international talents in a landmark sustainable fashion exchange. In this exclusive Q&A, the Cotswolds-raised designer reveals how agricultural roots, textile rescue, and sentimental craftsmanship fuel her eco-conscious brand, plus her vision for menswear that evolves with every stitch.

Q: Your MA at the Jimmy Choo Academy marked the launch of your debut collection. How did the program's focus on luxury craftsmanship influence your shift toward upcycled, one-of-a-kind streetwear with Rethreaded?

A: Rethreaded began during my BA studies, rooted in a fascination with rural workwear, repair culture and the potential of discarded textiles. By the time I joined Jimmy Choo Academy, the concept of upcycled, one-of-a-kind streetwear garments was already central to my creative practice.

What the Academy offered wasn't a shift in direction, but a refinement in approach. The program's emphasis on craftsmanship, precision and storytelling encouraged me to explore my ideas with a new level of technical and creative depth. I learnt how principles traditionally associated with luxury, care, finish and construction could enhance sustainable streetwear without compromising its authenticity or rawness.

Ultimately, the Academy gave me the tools and confidence to realise Rethreaded to its full potential, showing that craftsmanship, sustainability and streetwear share more in common than you might expect and that there's a real space for them to coexist.

Q: You describe working "from fabric to garment," letting discarded textiles dictate your design. Can you walk us through a specific moment when a damaged or surplus material significantly changed the direction of a piece you were creating?

A: A great example of this would be the Strip Knot Shorts showcased in Look One. I wanted to create something bold, layered and sporadic, yet thoughtful and intentional. I've always enjoyed exploring waste minimisation through combining multiple garments to form a single piece.

During my sourcing process, often digging through textile bins and waste factories, I found a series of t-shirts that had been ripped from the bottom up. I took them home and began adding my own rips and tears, following the same upward motion. Around the same time, I came across an old bedsheet with knotted ends, which immediately caught my attention. I began knotting all the strips together and eventually ended up stripping and knotting the entire garment and sheet.

The result was a piece that celebrates imperfection and process. A reminder that sometimes the defect within a garment becomes the very thing that inspires the next creation.

Q. Beyond visible mending and patchwork, what other experimental techniques are you currently exploring to push the boundaries of reworking textiles?

A: Beyond visible mending and patchwork, I've been exploring new ways of reworking textiles that focus on material manipulation and surface experimentation. I'm particularly interested in the tension between destruction and reconstruction, using techniques such as controlled fraying, knotting, layering and heat distortion to give fabrics new textures and forms.

Recently, I've been experimenting with bonding and layering lightweight materials with heavier ones to challenge traditional garment structures. Exploring how deconstruction can become a method of rebuilding rather than breaking down.

Ultimately, these experiments are about pushing the boundaries of what "reworking" can mean, moving beyond repair to create entirely new identities for discarded textiles.

Q: How do you balance the muted, earthy tones of the Cotswolds countryside with bold streetwear designs while keeping that raw agricultural feel?

A: Balancing the muted, earthy tones of the Cotswolds countryside with bold streetwear silhouettes is all about dialogue, letting the textures, shapes and heritage of one world inform the energy of the other. I often start with the colour palette of my rural roots: soft greens, worn blues, faded browns and creamy neutrals. These tones carry the memory of fields, workwear and natural resources.

Into this I introduce streetwear silhouette elements, exaggerated proportions, layering, unexpected construction details, that bring energy and movement without overpowering the inherent honesty of the fabrics. The raw agricultural feel is maintained through attention to texture, stitching and hand-finished details, so even the boldest pieces carry a sense of craft and history.

For me, it's never about compromise. It's about creating a conversation between two worlds, so the resulting pieces feel simultaneously grounded, expressive and undeniably Rethreaded.

Q: Rethreaded pieces are designed to be "treasured, mended, and passed down." What do you envision or hope customers will do with your garments over time—repairing, customizing, or sharing stories about them?

A: Rethreaded garments are designed to continue evolving long after they leave my studio. I hope customers treat them and their wardrobes more broadly. With care and sentimental value, repairing, altering and personalising pieces so that the garment becomes a living reflection of their own experiences.

I aim for these pieces to inspire the sharing of stories, customisations and small acts of repair, encouraging people to engage creatively with what they wear. Whether it's mending a sleeve, knotting strips from an old bedsheet or reworking a garment in their own way, these acts give each piece a unique life.

Ultimately, I hope this mindset extends beyond fashion, encouraging people to see value in the objects around them and inspiring a more thoughtful, creative approach to consumption and everyday living.

Q: As a young designer challenging stereotypes around gender and utility in streetwear, what role do you envision menswear playing in the broader sustainable fashion movement?

A: Menswear, with its focus on utility and functionality, has a unique role to play in the sustainable fashion movement. Many of the values inherent to streetwear durability, practicality and comfort align closely with the priorities of sustainability. Features like reinforced stitching, double knees, multiple pockets and versatile silhouettes aren't just design details; they encourage longevity, adaptability and mindful use which are at the heart of sustainable practice.

In my own work, I've explored this through pieces that are both functional and expressive, designed to meet the needs of a broad range of wearers. For example, in my catwalk line-up. I adapted the last look from a dungaree into jeans and a cropped top, demonstrating the versatility of the design and how garments can be worn and interpreted in different ways. By doing so, I hope to show that pieces can be inclusive, practical and enduring whilst still retaining the energy and identity of streetwear.

Ultimately, I see menswear and functional, utility-led design in general, as a way to inspire more thoughtful consumption: garments that are built to last, adaptable across bodies and lifestyles and capable of carrying personal stories throughout a lifetime.

Q: You've spoken about supporting UK farming communities in the future. Can you share any concrete ideas or partnerships you're considering to give back to the rural trades that have inspired you?

A: One of the most rewarding experiences during my MA collection was establishing a partnership between the alpaca farm I live next to and the alpaca farm I collaborated with in Somerset.

During my initial research, I spent time at the neighbouring farm to learn more about alpacas and the process of caring for the animals and their yarn. I discovered they were facing a challenge with an overflow of excess wool. Through my connection with the Somerset farm, I was able to arrange for this wool to be processed there, transforming what might have gone to waste into high-quality material. Seeing this come together was incredibly heart-warming, it felt like a small but meaningful way to support local farmers, celebrate craft and close a loop in the production process.

Looking forward, I hope to continue fostering partnerships like this, supporting rural trades while creating garments that honour their work, skills and sustainable practices.

Q: As a self-taught garment maker who has grown so rapidly in just one year, what unexpected challenges have taught you the most about construction and material behavior?

A: One of the most valuable lessons over the past year has been learning to listen to the fabric itself. Working with offcuts, recycled denim and alpaca yarn, I've often been surprised by how materials behave, how they stretch, fade, fray, or respond to layering. Some challenges, like managing bulk when joining multiple pieces or adapting techniques to preserve the integrity of fragile fabrics, pushed me to experiment and problem-solve in ways I hadn't anticipated.

I've even crafted whole garments only to have them fall apart the first time I tried them on, moments like that were frustrating, but they pushed me to slow down and really understand the construction process. Even grasping the basics of garment construction felt mind-blowing at first, but each mistake built my confidence and helped me figure out how to work with the materials rather than against them.

Q: How do you balance the commercial viability of one-off pieces with the need to scale Rethreaded as a brand? What's your path forward for growth?

A: Balancing commercial growth with one-of-one craftsmanship is definitely an ongoing challenge. Each Rethreaded piece is built around individuality, the character of the materials, the handwork, the story, so I never want to lose that authenticity. At the same time, I've learned that scalability doesn't have to mean uniformity.

My path forward is about developing systems that keep the spirit of reworking alive at a slightly larger scale, such as small capsule drops, limited runs built from similar textile sources, or collaborations with like-minded makers who share the same values. That way, each piece still carries a sense of rarity and emotional value, but the brand can grow sustainably without compromising its ethos.

Ultimately, I see Rethreaded growing in a way that feels organic — thoughtful, small-scale, and true to the values it was built on.

Q: Which contemporary streetwear designers or brands (in or outside the sustainable space) have influenced your approach to silhouettes and storytelling, and why?

A: While most of my work has been largely independent, it's primarily inspired by the materials themselves, how fabrics develop character over time. Growing up around agricultural workwear, I've always been drawn to functionality, durability and the way materials evolve. That philosophy guides both my silhouettes and forms, as well as the way I approach garment storytelling in Rethreaded.

I also admire designers like Craig Green and Willy Chavarria for their use of layering, utility, and deconstruction, as well as brands like Story MFG, whose ethically-led, process-focused storytelling shows how transparency and care can engage wearers. Seeing these approaches reinforces how I let materials and construction guide my designs.

Q: Your Instagram, @rethreadedofficial, often shows process shots of deconstruction and rebuilding. How intentional is your social storytelling in building an emotional connection with potential wearers?

A: One of the most important things for me is reintroducing sentimental connections with our garments. Social media isn't just for finished pieces, it's a way to show the process, so people can understand what a garment has been through. Being able to see the work, care and attention that has gone into a piece only deepens that connection. If time, care and attention have gone into what you're wearing, I believe you'll treat it with that same ongoing respect, valuing, repairing and cherish them in the same way they were made.

Q: You're one of 11 designers selected for the Fashion Summit (Hong Kong) 2025 exhibition, "Illuminate the Art of Sustainable Fashion." Which elements of Rethreaded's story or craftsmanship do you hope visitors notice first when they see your work in person?

A: As a new designer, I hope to bring a fresh perspective to the exhibition. I want my pieces to immediately convey the essence of agricultural streetwear. To feel raw, grounded and connected to the countryside culture that shaped me, whilst still feeling contemporary and wearable. The earthy tones and structured silhouettes reflect that balance between rural workwear and modern street sensibility.

When visitors look closer, I hope they notice the details that reveal each garment's journey. In the Reconstructed Jean Jacket, for instance, I used contrasting stitching to highlight the dialogue between what's original and what's been mended or adapted, allowing the garment to tell its own process story. Similarly, in the Strip Knot Shorts, I intentionally left the original T-shirt and bedsheet buttoning visible, as a way of honouring the materials past lives rather than erasing them.

Q: For Hong Kong locals, or those traveling there this month, why should they make time to visit the Fashion Summit exhibition?

A: I'm thrilled to be part of the Fashion Summit, where sustainable design, craft and innovation come together. Having recently explored Hong Kong's vibrant fashion scene for CentreStage and witnessed international designers like myself participate, I was inspired by how cultural traditions are interpreted across regions and how they intersect with one another. The exhibition is a unique opportunity to experience innovative designs, explore the dialogue between tradition and contemporary fashion and see sustainability brought to life through multiple cultural lenses.

Come visit Fashion Summit 2025 from 12-29 November at The Rotunda in Exchange Square, Central.