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Unfolded & Friends – Sustainable Pop Up Market, in Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

Posted: 12th October 2023

Edinburgh based leading sustainable clothing brand, Unfolded, is hosting the first ever Unfolded and Friends pop up event at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh on Sunday 15th October. The free event is open to all and runs from 11am-4pm at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh’s Greyfriars Hall (entrance from The Royal Mile via Cowgatehead). Alongside Unfolded will be other fantastic sustainable Scottish brands including Seilich Botanicals, Voxblock, Natural Sparkle and Scents of the Wild.

In the past 18 months Unfolded has grown to a community of over 100k+ women across the UK, turned down three Dragons on Dragons Den and attracted wide acclaim for their affordable approach to sustainable fashion from media such as This Morning, Lorraine and Glamour magazine.

The event gives shoppers the chance to preview, try and buy the brand new Unfolded collection, shop the brands first ever discounted sample sale, enjoy a free drink, meet the founders and discover a range of other fabulous Scottish sustainable focused brands.

Hosted within Virgin Hotels Edinburgh’s beautifully restored Greyfriars Hall, a Gothic church with vaulted ceilings, it’s the perfect spot to experience a piece of classic Edinburgh while perusing the very best sustainable products Scotland has to offer.

Unfolded is a local business well on its way to achieving a big mission – to change the way people shop and make the fashion industry more sustainable.

Did you know that 30% of new clothes made this year will never be sold – that’s estimated to be a staggering 26 billion items of new clothing that is destined to go straight to landfill?

Unfolded is challenging the industry by creating clothes without the waste and using the savings to create positive impact in the world. They do this by:

  • Designing clothes in collaboration with Unfolded shoppers to ensure the only clothes created are ones that people actually want to buy
  • Production doesn’t start till orders start being placed, allowing us to match supply and demand
  • Clothes are delivered direct from our factories to our customers within 4-6 weeks – removing logistics wastage

Making clothes in this way actually delivers cost savings and these are used to:

  • Offer sustainable yet affordable clothes
  • Pay garment workers better wages
  • Create long term change by funding children in India to learn to read and write (our clothes are manufactured in India).

Since launch eighteen months ago, Unfolded has already supported over 5,000 children in education.

Cally Russell, co-founder of Unfolded explains more, “Unfolded is all about community and creating positive change by working together. This is why we decided to host Unfolded and Friends and can’t wait to meet people in person at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh on Sunday. Over the past 18 months our collaborative approach to sustainable fashion has started to change this industry and we look forward to more Edinburgh locals discovering there is another way to shop this weekend”.

Mafalda Albuquerque, General Manager, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh said: “Virgin Hotels Edinburgh is a strong supporter of small, Scottish businesses. Our very own Curiosity Shop, delivered in partnership with Virgin Startup, features local sustainable brands and is extremely popular with our guests and so we know there will be huge excitement for the Unfolded and Friends market.

“We look forward to welcoming Unfolded into Greyfriars Hall to give guests and locals the chance to browse its incredible collection of sustainable products. In keeping with chic Virgin style, the pieces aren’t just fabulous but good for the planet too.”

After Edinburgh, the popup market tour will be heading to Oxford Street in London and then Manchester before the end of the year.

Find out more about the Unfolded and Friends Pop Up Event here https://thisisunfolded.com/blogs/unfold/unfolded-friends-event-edinburgh

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Business Comment is the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce’s bi-monthly magazine. It provides insight on Edinburgh’s vibrant business community, with features on the city’s key sectors, interviews with leading figures and news on new business developments in the capital.
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