Meet Emily & Lotti
Second Cashmere is the passion project of Lotti and Emily, founded to create an alternative to fast fashion cashmere and its devastating impact on cashmere producing countries. Both Lotti and Emily come to Second Cashmere with their own unique take on what they do, though both are united in their mission to show how the clothes we throwaway can once again be renewed in beautifully interesting and creative ways.
Lotti
Lotti founded Second Cashmere in 2021. Even before she became aware of the sustainable fashion movement, secondhand clothing had already played a big part in her life. Whether it was the fun of rummaging through charity and junk shops with her mum, or the Christmas-like joy she got from hand-me-downs, she'd always been drawn to its creativity.
Years (and plenty of books) later, she was introduced to the sustainability issues faced by the cashmere industry and how overconsumption of mass-produced ‘cheap’ cashmere was destroying grasslands in Mongolia and China. She went on to study a masters degree focusing on sustainability in the cashmere industry in the heart of Scotland's cashmere country which saw her travel to Mongolia on a research trip to learn as much as she could about the industry. She was hooked.
Having experienced the impacts for herself, she thought about how secondhand cashmere could become a great alternative to buying new. With this firmly at the forefront of her mind, Second Cashmere was born - showcasing how secondhand was not only more sustainable, but beautiful and brilliantly creative too.
Emily
Emily Smit-Dicks joined Second Cashmere in 2024 and is the creative brain behind all our making, designing, mending and reworking.
Emily is an artist, maker and educator based in our lovely city of Glasgow. Originally from Toronto, she spent 14 years as a costume maker in film and television, and in 2017, Emily found her way to Scotland to complete her Masters of Fine Art degree at the Glasgow School of Art.
With a big interest in sustainable practice and education, Emily has lead various workshops around mending and repair, is a Fashion Technician at the Glasgow School of Art and a Lecturer in Dressmaking and Sewing at Clyde College.
Emily has been interested in working with reclaimed materials for a number of years, concerned about the environmental impact of the fashion industry and the amount of waste it produces.
