“People fixing fashion“ is one of the many interesting projects launched by the international “One Army Foundation”, an organization that mobilizes international communities to address major environmental issues.

The project, launched in 2021, has the mission of inspiring and teaching users how to repair, modify, take care of our garment and inviting all of us to mobilize to reduce textile waste and take care of our precious resources. 

Fashion can be set by the people

On the online platform you can find a small alternative collection of clothes made not to sell but to inspire: the message is that Fashion can be set by the people, everyone can make their own style from what we already have, keeping what is worth keeping, upgrading what we feel a bit boring, repurposing what we don´t use anymore. 

In the Academy section are available all the information needed through text, images and video tutorials, to start making your own collection.

In February 2026, the Atelier turned three, officially stepping into its fourth year.

A birthday is always a moment that invites me to pause and reflect on the journey of the past twelve months, and to notice what has changed compared to the year before.

2025 was undoubtedly a year of major challenges, one that truly tested the resilience of this project. From June to the end of September, as some of you may remember, I wasn’t able to work regularly in the studio due to the renovation works in the building that hosts me.

I feared that this situation might undermine my project, but as soon as I was able to return to my regular rhythm, I found the same warm welcome from my clients as before. One of my goals from the very beginning was to build an activity with solid foundations — something capable of surviving the unexpected blows that life can deliver. Flexibility and organisation remain key elements in navigating obstacles.

Upon my return, I introduced basic sewing courses and workshops for anyone who wanted to get in touch with sewing and learn how to use a sewing machine.

Adults and children stepped into the Atelier to learn how to embroider, sew, create, and explore.

We are honoured to be featured in Billie Eilish’s sustainable fashion Guide in our City !

Cultural sustainability agency BLACK PEARL has created a sustainable fashion guide for the European tour of Billie Eilish HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: THE TOUR – an invitation to explore each tour stop more consciously and creatively, through local fashion solutions.

Billie’s European tour will touch 17 cities: Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hannover, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cologne, Prague, Krakow, Vienna, Bologna, Paris, Barcelona, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Dublin.

For each of these cities, the cultural sustainability agency BLACK PEARL has curated 17 different guides to spotlight local fashion gems — from independent designers and vintage stores to repair spaces and community-led initiatives — with the purpose of highlighting those doing powerful work in sustainability. 

 

The Circular Atelier Amager has  been included to represent Copenhagen and the inspiring ways it’s showing up – through intention, practicality or cultural rhythm. 

These guides are an invitation to celebrate what’s happening close to home, support the bigger conversation on sustainability, or simply discover something new. We are Grateful to be part of this moment. 

Sustainable fashion is a process built on small, intentional choices. 

It is found in a Vintage jacket that carries a history, a local design focused on ethics or  workshop where you can learn to repair rather than replace or discard.

The guides are a starting point. In each city find curated local spaces, makers and initiatives helping to shape a more thoughtful and responsible fashion future.

Explore the COPENHAGEN GUIDE below
All the guides here https://withblackpearl.com/billieeilish/

The Atelier Celebrates its 2nd Year

At this time of the year, the Atelier celebrates its birthday, and I like to pause and look back, retracing all the moments that have passed, just like you would with a special relationship.

Because yes, I have a special relationship with the Atelier. I love this space, not only because it allows me to unleash my creativity and dedicate myself to what I enjoy, but also because it has proven to be the perfect way to meet people in the neighborhood and start feeling like an integral part of this community.

Every day here is different, just as the types of projects and collaborations we carry out are varied.

Colorfull pendants, which resemble the shape of the feminin reproductive organ made by ‘Gginazzz’, just landed into the Atelier.

Why Amager?

I don’t know if you know Amager or if you’ve ever heard of it. 

Amager is a neighborhood of the city of Copenhagen located on one of the islands that make up the city itself. Yes, Copenhagen, which has always been a seaport, extends over three different islands and each neighborhood of the city is different from the other. 

After moving here I lived in almost every neighborhood, but in Amager, I found for the first time a deep sense of community and connection between people. 

It is a very diversified neighborhood, where there are many small original shops. 

There are those who sell fruit and vegetables, there are those who sell their own canvases, there are those who work with wood, there are those who sell vintage or those who produce body care products in a natural way.

On the east coast of the island there is a beach, on the west a nature reserve. 

Finding something precious, I have chosen to open the Atelier here and to include the name of the island in the name of my studio, because the goal was to create a project that could connect and include the community. 

One June afternoon, a young woman walks into the Atelier, and, a bit surprised, asks how long the business has been open and what kind of services are provided in my workshop.

We chat for a while, and then she introduces herself: she is Karoline Rahbek, currently Chief Advisor and Editor at Verdens Bedste Nyheder, a former model, and a graduate in communication and Danish from the University of Copenhagen, as well as a fashion activist. 

We share a common goal: to raise public awareness about their consumption habits and the possibilities that exist for giving new life to clothing and textiles that we no longer use.
Discovering that there is a segment of the population in town that prefers to repair, alter or re-fashion their garments, instead of buying something new, was positive news for Karoline. 

After photos of various fashion landfills went viral on the web and many began speaking out loudly about the problems caused by fast fashion production, it seems there has been a collective awakening and that something is changing.

A year of repairs, alterations, creativity, hard work, meetings, satisfactions, growth… has flown by since our official opening.

Today, February 18th, The Atelier indeed marks its first year. 

But do you know how the idea of it came together?

The Atelier is the result of a series of experiences that Blagovesta and I have gone through, experiences where we could leverage some of the skills we brought with us from our respective home countries.

In 2018, after almost a year in Denmark, I decided to join a project called Materiale Centralen, an NGO that aimed to raise awareness about the amount of waste materials produced by today’s society and how many of these materials are still good for reuse.

Sewing has always been a passion, so I found my role in the project in the textile section. I recovered an old sewing machine and started collecting fabrics and soft materials to use in the project’s workshops.

It was here that I met Blagovesta, an Environmental Artist, Fashion designer, artist, and craftswoman.

Together, we started experimenting, designing workshops, until we launched and managed a monthly workshop at Copenhagen Fablab, where we taught how to repair, alter, or customize clothes.

This collaboration lasted about 14 months. This period was one of the most stimulating because through this experience, we realized that we were not only capable of repairing but also of repairing with creativity and teaching others, making them passionate about the endless possibilities that sewing offers.

After the pandemic and life changes, in September 2023, we decided to rent this small basement and start something inspired by what we had experienced during our volunteer years.

Today, I am very happy with how the Atelier is taking shape, adapting to the needs of the area. Until now, we have been involved in repairs, alterations, workshops, consultations, and the personalized creation of items for the home and clothing. It’s rewarding to offer services that the local community needs.

We liked the idea of having a dynamic job in the workshop, transforming all the precious materials we have recovered into something new, meeting people who share our values, and designing, creating, sewing.

The premature and unexpected departure of Blagovesta has, of course, left a great wound in all of us and marks a transitional moment in the history of the Atelier. And therefore I had the urge to share with all of you our history.
To do not forget her contribution and presence in the project.

Today, with infinite sadness, I have to communicate the unexpected loss of my friend and colleague, Blagovesta.

A creative soul, crafter, and artist—truly one of a kind. Together, we opened the Atelier almost one year ago, and as she would have wished, I will continue to love and develop it.

She will always be a part of our lives, thanks to her care and presence in them.

 

Thank you Blago!

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are delighted to inform you that Circular Atelier Amager will be temporarily closed for a short autumn holiday, from October 18th, 2023, to October 25th, 2023.

As we embark on this seasonal break, we would like to pause and reflect on the incredible journey that has brought us to this point. October 18th marks a significant milestone, as it will be eight months since our shop first opened its doors.

Our journey began with a simple vision: to create a space where creativity, sustainability, and community intersect. We aimed to provide services for our local community, showcase our upcycled products, and inspire people to reevaluate their daily habits in relation to their clothing and the fashion industry.

Over the past eight months, we’ve witnessed this vision coming to life, and we owe much of our success to you, our cherished friends and neighbors.

During our autumn break, we will take the time to absorb this period of rapid growth and prepare for exciting new improvements.

See you soon!

 

Valeria and Blagovesta
Circular Atelier Amager

 

PICS by Olga Koreshkova Kunst [ @takforphoto ]