Cornwall Entrepreneur Launches Organic Clothing Brand Using Food Waste from St Ives Restaurants

A Cornwall entrepreneur has launched a clothing brand that dyes organic garments using food waste collected from local restaurants in St Ives.

Waste to Wardrobe

Will Besant, founder of Primitive Vision Studios Ltd, has teamed up with hospitality businesses in the popular seaside town to collect their raw kitchen waste and turn it into natural dyes for garments like T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts. The clothes are then supplied back to the same restaurants to be worn by staff.

Among the standout colours are bright yellow from lemon peel, candy pink from onion skins and deep purple from red cabbage. The peel is gathered by e-bike to reduce emissions and processed in Will’s workshop – a converted Grade II listed church owned by St Ives Community Land Trust.

“It’s a world-first,” said Will. “Staff are wearing clothes that have been dyed with their kitchen waste.”

The garments themselves are made using organic cotton from a small family-run factory in Portugal.

Tourism’s Impact and a Circular Solution

Will used to work in catering himself and saw first-hand how much waste is generated – especially in a town like St Ives, where tourism brings in £85 million a year, the second-highest visitor spend in the UK.

As well as tackling food waste, the business addresses the seasonal nature of the local economy. “We provide year-round employment on a decent salary and a share in the profits,” said Will.

The business was soft-launched in May at the St Ives Food & Drink Festival. It’s also offering work experience and apprenticeships through collaborations with Yonkers – the youth arm of St Ives Town Council – and Falmouth University’s department of fashion and textiles.

Funding Support from the British Business Bank

Will received £17,000 from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme, which provides personal loans of up to £25,000 per director, along with free mentoring for new businesses.

The funding was secured with support from SWIG Finance, the Bank’s Business Support Partner in the South West. “Every other outlet I tried needed three to five years of trading history before they would consider giving me any support,” said Will. “SWIG was the only one that would help me.”

“I had a very short window in which to get my application over the line, and Suzy [Lowe] helped me to turn it round within a week. I couldn’t have done it without SWIG, and I am so grateful.”

Suzy Lowe, Start Up Loans Senior Officer for SWIG Finance, said: “Will is an innovator and buoyant character who is turning waste into worth. He has worked tirelessly to spread the word… and gathered significant support from his local community.”

Next Steps and Global Interest

With food waste now being transformed into wearable products, the second part of the plan will focus on single-use plastics. Will aims to collect, shred and compress plastic waste into items such as homewares and furniture, potentially for use by the same businesses that provided the material.

The project has also attracted international interest, with Will invited to give presentations in Morocco and Mexico.

For more about the Start Up Loans scheme, visit www.startuploans.co.uk.