Meet The Haines Collection: The Platform Presenting A New Era For UK Textiles

According to the 2019 Textiles Market Situation Report conducted by WRAP, approximately 900,000 tonnes of textile waste is sent to landfill or incinerated in the the UK each year. With homewares textiles contributing to over 40% of this alarming figure, Jules Haines set out on a mission in 2020 to disrupt the habitual damage taking place across the industry. Stating her concerns in an open letter to the sector on Earth Day 2021, Haines wrote, “As an industry, we need to commit to circularity. In coming together, and sharing our ideas and resources, we can change. We have to change. I call on the industry to have a positive impact on the planet by being responsible, accountable and innovative so we can plan for tomorrow.”

With reports highlighting the exponential increase of home furnishing purchases during the Covid-19 lockdowns, the need for change has never been more pressing and Haines’ concerns are shared by many across the sector. The Haines Collection, which she officially launched in early 2020 to help combat these issues, is a digital platform dedicated to diverting home textiles from landfill by offering a portal through which brands can list unused and leftover fabrics, making them directly available to a consumer audience.

Listing fabrics from renowned textile houses such as Christopher Farr and Colefax and Fowler, the platform also allows buyers to access luxury fabrics at a fraction of its RRP. With brands adding fabrics due to a number of reasons such as it being a past season design or featuring a defective print run, the resale business model is bringing a refreshing accessibility to the sector whilst creating a circular economy in a simple, yet effective, way. Alongside its fabric selections, the platform also sells leftover accessories including wallpaper, cushions and lampshades.

Having now saved nearly 15,000 metres of fabric from landfill within its first two years, The Haines Collection is proving to be a success and growing in popularity amid the rise of conscious consumers and an industry that is becoming increasingly aware of its impact. And not just stopping at the service it offers, the company is seeking to distribute and operate with a conscious mindset. From its avoidance of plastic packaging to its carbon offsetting program, the company is committed to a green and responsible future.

In March 2022, the company launched a new arm to its platform titled, ‘Haines Curates’. Bringing together a selection of independent UK textile design brands, the mission is to present sustainable new purchase options to the platforms audience, when a solution can’t be found within the resale items listed. Releasing an initial edit of ten designers which align with the company’s core values, Haines is keen to expand the selection, acting as a hub for creatives working with responsible mindsets. Here are two brands included within the curation:

The Campbell Collection

Producing small batch textile designs using GOTS certified cotton, natural vegetable dyes and also pledging 10% of annual profits back to the artisanal communities they work with, The Campbell Collection is a true example of creatives successfully merging responsible production with a contemporary aesthetic.

Pukka Print

Founded by Juliet Cornell in 2013, Pukka Print works with craftspeople in Rajasthan, utilising and helping to preserve a traditional Indian block-printing technique. Creating small batches by hand, the company offers full transparency into its production process and is committed to reducing its impact moving forward. A brand filled with passion and determination to not only do the right thing, but to support the creatives it collaborates with.

Looking ahead, with Haines set to expand the platform to increase not only the brands and designers it lists but also the volume of textiles it salvages each year, it is critical that platforms such as this find the support they need in reaching as many partners as possible. This will facilitate change at a faster pace. Business models like The Haines Collection are the lifeblood of a future circular economy and, in thriving and succeeding, it provides hope that change is possible and hopefully, as 15,000 metres saved turns into 150,000 metres saved (and so on and so forth!), a new future for the textiles industry can unfold right before our eyes.