Swindon small business owner starts remnant revolution with new approach to sustainable business

One small business success story featured in the new Novuna Business Finance sustainability report is Swindon business owner Pinky Laing, founder of The Remnant Revolution

Pinky explains how she runs a successful and sustainable business using discarded luxury textiles and turning them into unique homeware pieces. What began as an idea scribbled on a hospital bed has grown into a movement empowering women from a spectrum of backgrounds and cultures with sewing skills to create beautiful, upcycled designs.

By challenging the textile industry’s wasteful norms, The Remnant Revolution proves that sustainability isn’t just about materials—it’s about people, purpose, and craftsmanship.

Pinky says: “Every piece we make is unique because we never know what fabrics we will get. We work with what’s already available. It’s not about mass production or seasonal trends—it’s about making something beautiful, sustainable, and meaningful. We don’t follow fashion or homeware cycles, and we don’t churn out thousands of identical items. Everything we make is handmade, and that takes time. So, we’ve had to educate our customers about slow fashion—helping them understand that when you buy something crafted with care, it’s worth the wait.”

The fashion industry is at a crossroads, with increasing awareness of its environmental impact pushing designers and brands toward more sustainable solutions. Pinky Laing, founder of The Remnant Revolution, is at the forefront of this change, championing a movement that transforms textile waste into luxury home fashion. From her background in heritage tailoring to launching a brand that redefines sustainability, Pinky shares her journey, the challenges of breaking industry norms, and the future of upcycled fashion.

The idea for The Remnant Revolution didn’t come from a business plan or a carefully crafted strategy—it came from a hospital bed.

As Pinky explains; “I was in hospital for a while in mid 2023, and during that time, I met incredible women from different backgrounds and cultures—and the common denominator and thing that united us, was that we could all sew,” she shares.

“We would talk for hours about their lives and how we could use these skills as a force for good.” She continues; “From my hospital bed, on the back of a piece of paper, I scribbled down the business plan and it was the seed of an idea. When I had previously worked with luxury tailors and saw first-hand how much high-quality fabric was discarded, beautiful, unused remnants were ending up in landfills or being incinerated. I knew there had to be a better way," Pinky recalls.

Pinky’s story is released alongside new research from Novuna Business Finance, which shows that 88% of small businesses see sustainability as more important now than a year ago. While reducing energy use remained a priority, small businesses are also focusing on broader sustainability goals. Many are reviewing water and energy consumption, heating systems, and opportunities for renewable energy, alongside other key areas.

Key priorities for 2025:

· Switching to greener transport (29%)

· Investing in sustainable equipment and infrastructure (18%)

· Improving working conditions for employees (27%)

· Creating local jobs (32%)

· Supporting local suppliers and communities (27%)

Pinky’s small business story is featured in full in Novuna Business Finance’s latest report, Beyond Net Zero: A Broader Sustainability Agenda for Small Businesses, explores how three small businesses—spanning food production, manufacturing, and IT - are embracing sustainability in unique and impactful ways. From rethinking waste and adopting regenerative practices to leveraging technology for efficiency, these businesses demonstrate that meeting carbon emission targets goes hand in hand with broader sustainability initiatives.

By embedding environmental and social responsibility into their business models, they are not only driving positive change within their industries but also setting new standards for sustainable growth and innovation.

Back to Pinky’s story: as she learned more about the levels of waste in the fashion industry she says: “I started looking into textile waste and was horrified. Fashion brands discard mountains of fabric—perfectly good, high-quality material—just because it’s surplus or slightly misprinted or off-season. It made no sense. And I kept coming back to that note I had written in hospital. That was the answer.”

With that, The Remnant Revolution was born. As Pinky says: “It was never about creating just another home homeware brand—it was about solving two problems at once: rescuing discarded textiles and giving skilled women, particularly refugees and disempowered women, a way to earn a living.”

But turning an idea into reality wasn’t easy. Living in the countryside near Swindon, far from the fashion hubs of London, Pinky had to start with what she had: her local community. A conversation at her children’s school led her to a group of Afghan refugee women living on a nearby army base.

“Someone mentioned that these women were incredible seamstresses, so I went to meet them. I explained what I wanted to do, and at first, they were just silent. Then one of them looked at me and said, ‘We’re in.’ That was it. That was the moment I knew this was going to work.”

There were immediate hurdles. The women had the skills, but they had no sewing machines.

“Most of them had only ever used hand-cranked machines, which are common in Afghanistan and India. They had never worked with electric machines before, so we had to start from scratch to teach them.” Pinky reached out to her friends for help, and within days, donated sewing machines started arriving. “It was incredible to see the community rally around us. Once the women got used to the machines, their skills were impressive.”

Instead of producing new materials, the brand sources surplus fabric from deadstock fabric suppliers, mills and designers. “Every piece we make is unique because we never know what fabrics we will get. We work with what’s already available. It’s not about mass production or seasonal trends—it’s about making something beautiful, sustainable, and meaningful.”

Breaking away from the traditional fashion system has had its challenges. “We don’t follow fashion or homeware cycles, and we don’t churn out thousands of identical items. Everything we make is handmade, and that takes time. So, we’ve had to educate our customers about slow fashion—helping them understand that when you buy something crafted with care, it’s worth the wait.”

Despite the obstacles, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. “People love knowing the story behind what they’re wearing or using for their home. They love that their homeware items aren’t just another product—they represent something bigger. They’re supporting disempowered women, reducing waste, and changing the way the textile industry is done.”

Looking to the future, Pinky hopes to expand The Remnant Revolution by working with more women across the UK. “This is just the beginning,” she says. “There are so many women out there with incredible skills who just need a chance. If we can keep growing, we can prove that fashion doesn’t have to exploit people or the planet. There’s a better way.”

Jo Morris, Head of Insight at Novuna Business Finance, commented: “I’d like to thank Tierra Viva, The Remnant Revolution, and Oxford Information Labs for sharing their journeys with us. Their experiences demonstrate that sustainability is not just an ambition but a fundamental part of how they operate—driving innovation, resilience, and meaningful change within their industries.

“What stands out is that sustainability is most effective when it is embedded into a business’s strategy rather than treated as an add-on. These businesses are rethinking waste, challenging conventional practices, and proving that responsible business can go hand in hand with commercial success. Their stories highlight the creativity and determination that small businesses bring to the challenge of building a more sustainable future.

“At Novuna Business Finance, we believe these insights matter. Small businesses are at the forefront of this shift, often finding practical, resourceful ways to make sustainability work. By sharing their experiences, we hope to inspire others and support more businesses on this journey—through research, funding, and shining a light on their businesses story via the podcast.”

The report with Pink’s full story is available now on the Novuna Business Finance website, along with exclusive podcast interviews where business owners share their experiences in their own words.