Sheffield brands called upon to join new sustainable fashion platform coming all the way from the Netherlands

Three sustainable fashion lovers are calling on Sheffield brands to join their online marketplace and take a stand against fast fashion.
The Project CeCe founding team:  Left to right are Melissa Wijngaarden, Noor Veenhoven and Marcella Wijngaarden.The Project CeCe founding team:  Left to right are Melissa Wijngaarden, Noor Veenhoven and Marcella Wijngaarden.
The Project CeCe founding team:  Left to right are Melissa Wijngaarden, Noor Veenhoven and Marcella Wijngaarden.

Sisters Marcella and Melissa Wijngaarden and friend Noor Veenhoven have launched Project Cece, an online store which showcases sustainable clothing from brands of all sizes, in a place where it is easy to browse and buy different items.

Noor said: “When we realised the large negative impact the fashion industry really has for people and the environment, we decided to make the switch to sustainable fashion – but finding ethical clothing turned out to be not as easy as finding fast-fashion.

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“Marcella was fed up with having to search for hours through different websites just to find a simple sustainable top that fitted her style and budget.

A dress made by brand Mayamiko. It's made from upcycled silk and made in Milan by ethical workshop 'Fiore all'Occhiello', a social cooperative that provides stable employment for disadvantaged people, refugees and asylum seekers. It is available on ethical fashion platform Project CeCe.A dress made by brand Mayamiko. It's made from upcycled silk and made in Milan by ethical workshop 'Fiore all'Occhiello', a social cooperative that provides stable employment for disadvantaged people, refugees and asylum seekers. It is available on ethical fashion platform Project CeCe.
A dress made by brand Mayamiko. It's made from upcycled silk and made in Milan by ethical workshop 'Fiore all'Occhiello', a social cooperative that provides stable employment for disadvantaged people, refugees and asylum seekers. It is available on ethical fashion platform Project CeCe.

“She thought ‘this should be easier, there should be a website that brings it all together, like an Amazon of conscious clothing. If such a website does not exist I will build it myself’. And so she did.”

The project was actually started in the Netherlands, where Marcella, Melissa and Noor live, so I was really surprised – but pleased – to find an e-mail from them in my inbox.

Noor added: “By launching in the UK, we hope to help people make the switch away from fast-fashion by making it easier for them to find ethical clothing of their choice. If more consumers decide to buy sustainable fashion, the fashion industry will have choice but to change.

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“We don't have any brands from Sheffield involved in Project CeCe (yet), but we'd of course very much like to have them so would encourage anyone who runs a fair and ethical clothing brand in the city to get in touch with us.”

In the Netherlands the project is doing well, with over 15.000 products from 400 brands being featured. The hope is that at least 5,000 products will feature from the UK.

The launch of Project CeCe in the UK comes as data from Ipsos MORI, a market research company, has revealed that almost three-quarters of Britons think clothing brands should be responsible for what happens in their supply chains and should ensure garments are manufactured in an environmentally friendly way.

There was almost a 20 percent jump in the market for ethically-produced clothing last year, according to the Ethical Consumer Markets Report 2018, along with 22.5 percent increase in second-hand clothing purchases – showing we are all making more ethical choices.

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Project Cece stands for ‘Project Conscious Clothing’. Visit www.projectcece.co.uk. There, you can browse clothing by garment type, price range, size, brand, label, material or certificate. Women, mens and kids clothing is available. You can get in touch with the team by e-mailing [email protected].