Your autumn at Emergence: swaps, sales, late nights and making
What's on this autumn at Emergence
The evenings are drawing in, which makes it the perfect time to get cosy, get creative and give your wardrobe a refresh. Here's what's coming up at Emergence Commons, 1 Kendrick Street, Stroud.
Kilo Sale: Saturday 17 October, 11am to 4pm
Preloved fashion sold by weight, with a DJ all day. Fill a bag, weigh it, and give great clothes a second life without the price tag. Our Kilo Sales bring a fresh approach to shopping for fashion, offering the opportunity to discover clothing, unique pieces and unexpected finds at great value. Instead of paying for individual items, you shop by weight, making it an exciting way to explore pre-loved fashion and experiment with your personal style.
Whether you're searching for wardrobe staples, statement pieces, fabrics for a creative project or something completely unexpected, our Kilo Sales encourage you to look at clothing differently. It's about discovering the potential in existing garments and giving quality textiles another opportunity to be worn and enjoyed.
As part of our commitment to circular fashion, these events help keep clothing in circulation, reduce unnecessary waste and demonstrate that sustainable shopping can be affordable, creative and full of individuality.
Keep an eye on our upcoming events for the next Kilo Sale, including confirmed dates, prices and shopping details.
Late Night Fridays and Fabric Swap: Friday 23 October, 7pm to 11pm
A DJ, drinks and late-night shopping in the heart of Stroud, plus a Fabric Swap. Bring your unused fabric and trade it with other makers to refresh your stash.
Emergence Commons comes alive after hours with Late Night Fridays, bringing together music, fashion, creativity and the local community for a different kind of evening in the heart of Stroud.
Our late-night events transform the space into a social meeting point, featuring guest DJs, carefully selected music and opportunities to connect with people from across Stroud's creative community. It's a chance to experience Emergence beyond our daytime workshops and retail activities, while enjoying an atmosphere that celebrates independent culture and collaboration.
These evenings also play an important role in supporting Emergence Commons as a Community Interest Company. By opening our doors for cultural events, we're creating new opportunities for local artists, musicians and independent creatives to share their work, reach new audiences and contribute to a thriving town centre.
From relaxed early-evening gatherings to lively DJ-led nights, each event brings something different while sharing the same purpose: creating a welcoming space where culture, creativity and community come together.
Explore our upcoming Late Night Fridays for confirmed dates, DJ line-ups, ticket information and event details.
Clothes Swap: Sunday 25 October, 5pm - 7pm
Bring clean, good-quality clothes you no longer wear and swap them for something new to you. It's free, it's fun, and it keeps good clothing in use.
Our Clothes and Fabric Swaps offer a different way to refresh your wardrobe, discover new materials and connect with others who share an interest in fashion, textiles and sustainability.
Rather than buying something new, these events encourage people to exchange clothing, fabrics and other suitable materials that they no longer need. What might be sitting unused in one person's wardrobe or sewing collection could be exactly what someone else has been searching for.
Clothes swaps are also an opportunity to experiment with personal style, discover unexpected pieces and give garments another life. Our fabric swaps bring together makers, designers, sewing enthusiasts and creative beginners, helping useful materials find their way into new projects rather than being discarded.
By encouraging sharing and reuse, we're helping make circular fashion more accessible while creating opportunities for people to meet, exchange ideas and learn from one another.
Whether you're clearing out your wardrobe, looking for inspiration for your next sewing project or simply curious about a more sustainable approach to fashion, our swap events are a great place to start.
Explore our upcoming events for swap dates, participation guidelines and details of what you can bring.
Kendrick Street Late-Night Shopping and Street Party: Friday 30 October, from 5pm
Join us and our Kendrick Street neighbours for late-night shopping, music and a street-party atmosphere celebrating Stroud's independent high street.
With a carefully curated selection of clothing, accessories and pieces ready to be rediscovered, our shop celebrates individual style and the possibilities of circular fashion. Whether you're searching for something distinctive, updating your wardrobe or simply browsing for inspiration, there's always something new to discover.
These evenings are also about supporting independent retail and bringing more life to Stroud's town centre. By extending our opening hours, we're creating opportunities for people who can't visit during the day to experience the shop, meet the team and learn more about the creative work taking place upstairs at Emergence Commons.
Our late-night shopping events may also coincide with other activities, including music, community gatherings and special events, bringing together fashion, culture and creativity under one roof.
Every purchase supports our wider mission as a Community Interest Company, helping us continue developing opportunities for creative learning, textile reuse and community participation.
Find us at 1 Kendrick Street, Stroud, GL5 1AQ. Follow our events programme for upcoming Late Night Shopping dates and special announcements.
Many people own a sewing machine but never feel entirely confident using it. Understanding how your particular machine works can make an enormous difference, especially when it comes to avoiding common problems such as tangled threads, uneven stitches or difficulty controlling fabric.
These focused sessions help you become familiar with your machine's settings, threading system, stitch options and routine care. You'll gain a better understanding of why problems happen and how to approach them, giving you the confidence to practise independently and begin tackling projects that may previously have felt out of reach.
Design, Sewing & Upcycling Workshops
Whether you're completely new to sewing or looking to develop your creative abilities, our workshops offer an opportunity to learn by doing. Based in the heart of Stroud, Emergence Commons brings together experienced makers, local creatives and people who share an interest in fashion, textiles and practical skills.
Our approach combines creativity with sustainability, encouraging participants to explore the possibilities of materials they already own while discovering new techniques. There's no pressure to be perfect — just the opportunity to experiment, exchange ideas and leave with skills you can continue using at home.
Not every garment needs replacing when it no longer fits, becomes damaged or feels out of date. Often, a relatively small alteration or repair can make a significant difference to how something looks, feels and functions.
These practical sessions introduce techniques that help extend the useful life of clothing, from understanding fit and making adjustments to reinforcing worn areas and exploring visible or discreet repairs. You'll also discover how alterations can become a creative opportunity, allowing you to personalise pieces and make your wardrobe work better for you.
It's an approach that combines everyday practicality with resourcefulness, helping reduce textile waste while making the most of the clothes you already have.
Every week
Tuesdays, 6pm to 8pm: Design Classes
Wednesdays, 6.30pm to 8.30pm: Decorative Arts with Pomme
Thursday evenings: Sewing Bee, our friendly sewing circle
Fridays, 12.30pm to 2.30pm: Upcycle, Alter & Repair with Pomme
Work from Emergence
Need somewhere to make, create or meet? Our upstairs space has large tables, sewing machines and go.
Emergence Commons is more than a place to attend a workshop. We're building a creative community where practical knowledge, traditional skills and contemporary approaches to design can be shared across generations and experience levels.
As a Community Interest Company, our work supports a wider commitment to circular fashion, creative education and keeping valuable materials in use. By taking part in our workshops, you're not only investing in your own skills but also supporting a local space dedicated to making creativity and sustainable fashion more accessible.
Find us at 1 Kendrick Street, Stroud, GL5 1AQ, and explore our upcoming sessions to discover what you could learn, make or reimagine next.
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