[Show as slideshow]

Traid are very clever. Not only do they sell donated clothes but they use fabrics to make new clothes. We  donated to them after the clothes swap at UKAware.

Knowing all this, I was actually terribly excited about getting to see their warehouse operations and what exactly happened to all the clothes we collected for them.

The manager of its latest shop (which opened in Camden on 9 May) proudly let me sneak a preview of the new collection from the  TRAIDremade label. Looking at our gallery, you must admit these are pretty WOW. (So you can guess who will be hotfooting it down to Traid in Camden.)

Back to the operations.

First of all the lorry, (runs on LPG) delivers the bundles of sacks which are collected on a weekly basis from the 900 textile recycling banks around the Midlands, London and the South east. Traid is always looking for new spots to put its recycling units by the way, so ideas are welcome.

Anything that is really horrifically ripped or terribly soiled goes immediately into a crate for landfill. But these sorters are so expert and have been at Traid for so long they find that only about 8 per cent gets to landfill. (I thought that this sorting would be undertaken by a huge group, but in fact only six of these wondrous human beings sort 3,500 tons on average every week WOW WOW WOW.)

There I was totally agog and Leigh let me get onto the sorting platform and showed me how items are picked for the different shops. Their tenth shop will be opened on their their tenth anniversary – very fitting.

Traid get to know their customer base really well for each shop. For example, more saris go to Kilburn and more children’s clothing to Wood Green. What’s left is sold to an agent who then sells them for rags and stuffing or as clothing internationally or in the UK.

Leigh explained that the managers of the shops come to the warehouse quite often if they have seen a new buying trend or just to see what is coming in and help with sorting. Sounds like a big happy family really and I thought it was great that if the sorters came across only one from a pair of decent shoes/boots they would put this one aside in case the other matching shoe showed up.

The TRAIDremade clothing headed by designer Paula Kirkwood has its workshop and seamstresses in Brighton. TRAIDremade is available in TRAID’s Brighton, Brixton, Shepherds Bush, Westbourne Grove, Wood Green shops and the new one in Camden.

A limited range of accessories is available on www.getethical.com. Paula will call into the warehouse and ask for certain pieces, for example 20 men’s shirts, or a certain weight of cloth. So it depends what she is cutting, gosh talent!! Luckily they also get fab pieces of materials and trimmings from designer’s leftovers and end of lines. The money they receive from the sale of the goods goes to their three main objectives:

• To protect the environment by diverting clothes and shoes from landfill
• To reduce world poverty by raising funds for overseas development projects
• To educate the UK public on environmental and world poverty issues.

This year on their tenth anniversary they are donating £180,000 via a three year project to help PAN convert the cotton farmers in Benin, West Africa to organic.

The money that daisygreenmagazine.co.uk raised at the UKAWARE swap together with donations from the shops, goes straight into their emergency fund, which I imagine is one hundred per cent needed.

I  have to say I was terribly impressed and really happy that the leftovers of our London swishes and any donations from them, will be donated to Traid.