Will Besant, founder of Primitive Vision Studios, has developed a circular model in St Ives which sees raw food waste collected from hospitality outlets, processed into dye and applied to organic cotton garments. These garments are then made into staff uniforms, supplied back to the same businesses that provided the waste.
The project received a £17,000 loan through the Start Up Loans scheme, via SWIG Finance, to support the development and help scale operations.
With a background in catering, Besant was familiar with the high levels of food and single-use plastic waste produced by the industry. The problem is said to be especially pronounced in tourism hotspots like St Ives, where visitor are thought to spend £85 million a year.
Primitive Vision Studios collects waste using e-bikes and processes it at a workshop based in a converted Grade II-listed church, provided by St Ives Community Land Trust. Different fruit and vegetable by-products yield a natural palette of colours – yellow from lemon peel, pink from onion skins and purple from red cabbage.
The garments, which include T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts, are made using organic cotton sourced from a small, family-run factory in Portugal.
The business was soft-launched at the St Ives Food & Drink Festival in May and also aims to address wider socio-economic issues linked to the area’s reliance on seasonal tourism. The town faces challenges such as high rates of seasonal employment, low wages and limited year-round opportunities, particularly for young people.
The company is also collaborating with Yonkers – the youth council of St Ives town council – and Falmouth University’s department of fashion and textiles to offer apprenticeships and work placements for students and local residents.
Additional investment had come from the St Ives Town Deal Fund.
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