Why buy clothes when you can breathe new life into old ones by dyeing them? – Hayley Matthews

Dyes provide the means to get creative with clothes and other materials (Picture: Juni Kriswanto/AFP via Getty Images)

I'm known for wearing leggings and T-shirts with holes in them because when I find something that's comfortable, I tend to hang on to it. This habit also means my stuff is always colour fading so I'm partial to the odd Dylon dyeing session.

Just the other day a neighbour commented on the colour of my cardigan, it's one I've had for years and I recently dyed it lilac. She thought it was a great idea. So I looked on the internet for other colours when I found a report investigating the environmental impact of consumers buying new clothes.

Apparently a staggering 66 per cent of us buy the same garments we bought two years ago. Despite the fast-fashion movement, many are trying to purchase less and reuse more and I've found a great way to do it – ‘Re-Dye Don’t Re-Buy’!

According to Dylon, every pair of jeans that is re-dyed instead of re-bought saves 20kg of carbon dioxide emissions, which is not to be brushed off because it’s the equivalent of driving 70 miles in a petrol car.

So I've stocked up on Tulip Red and Forrest Green as well as the trusty old black to re-dye my throws, tops and leggings instead of buying new. The ‘Re-Dye Don’t Re-Buy’ Campaign was launched last year. However, it’s more relevant now than ever with the cost of everything going up. So don't buy Christmas jammies, maybe just dye the ones you've got already? It will cost less than a trip to the shops!