AllSaints Founder: The World Cannot Afford Fast Fashion


Episode Artwork
1.0x
0% played 00:00 00:00
Mar 05 2025 17 mins  

Stuart Trevor is the Founder of AllSaints and STUART TREVOR, his eponymous sustainable fashion brand that launched in 2023. He joins Natalie to talk about why he decided to launch a clothing brand that doesn’t produce any new clothes.

They discuss:

  • What inspired Stuart's move into sustainable fashion.
  • A founder’s vision and being clear on what makes your brand special: AllSaints was a success in part because “there was nothing else like it”.
  • Why longevity, not price, is the key to unlocking value in apparel.
  • Which high street brands are the biggest offenders when it comes to UK clothing waste?
  • Demand coming from LA consumers after the wildfires.
  • The importance of authenticity when launching a fashion brand.
  • Why Stuart has a problem with M&S pants.

Bio:

Stuart Trevor started his career as a fashion design student in 1985, aged 19 won the Smirnoff Fashion Awards at the Royal Albert Hall and became the first ever designer and buyer for REISS.

Aged 28, he founded AllSaints. Many of the clothes that feature each week in the top 10 bestseller list of the high street brand today were designed by Trevor over 20 years ago.

‘AllSaints was my baby, I created that look from scratch, all inspired by my teenage years. That best selling biker jacket started out as a vintage find, the ramskull was my first logo design, a cross between my love of animals, pirates and punk rock and it took over the world!’

‘Inspired by a childhood obsession with Bowie, Kate Bush & Adam Ant, customising hand me down clothes gifted from my mother’s church friends. I learned to sew at 9 years old in Dundee, my ambition from very early days was to create the world’s greatest rock n roll brand. I’m still on that mission and I’m determined to make it happen’

‘Now I want to create something that brings the same joy, even more pleasure to people whilst doing what’s right for our planet’

Trevor started customising vintage finds, then began creating small quantities of reworked outerwear in limited edition from a small factory in East London.

‘People want to have more fun, rediscover the magic of fashion, buy clothes that will last, that have the smallest possible environmental impact. We make this possible.’

The first STUART TREVOR collection was shown at an exclusive launch party during London Fashion Week on 15 September 2023. It was a huge success with over 750 people from all across the world turning up, hanging out and sharing their favourite thoughts about sustainability, music, art, fashion, design and culture.

We’re mentoring the youth of today with a similar passion for the future of fashion - we’re not going to change our love of fashion and design, we’re determined to change how we affect the planet by creating a better world.

It doesn’t get much more sustainable than this!

Links:

STUART TREVOR

Retail Technology Show