Because I am a little early for the interview with Jolanda Helversteijn, head, heart and hands of charity ‘Rechterhanden’ in Veldhoven, I take a good look round the premises. In a limited space, a brainstorming meeting is in progress to inspire creators to come up with new designs; a young woman is working on one of the many sewing machines, transforming jeans fabric into potholders, clothes racks display second-hand clothes, hats and shoes, and the jeans section is chock-full of donated jeans to be transformed into the innovative products the shop sells. This is ‘Rechterhanden’, Right hands, as in helpmates, a charity with ideals put into practice in a way that works.
When Jolanda has ensured everyone has something to get on with, she is ready to explain how ‘Rechterhanden’ came into being. As will become increasingly clear as the interview progresses, the charity has two intertwined and equally important goals, like the warp and the weft of a woven fabric, to stay within the field of textiles. One strand is directly linked with the fashion industry, Jolanda’s field all her professional working life.
At ROC Tilburg school for fashion, Jolanda realised early on that apart from learning to design and tailor, students would also have to learn about the textile industry and its impact on the planet. What happens to clothes people no longer wear? And not only students. Jolanda held talks at companies and organised group workshops.
When the building where those activ.