Community-led initiative aims to reduce fashion waste

A NEW community-led sustainable fashion collective has come together on the Surf Coast to encourage local residents to recycle, reuse and repurpose items of clothing, rather than throw them away.

With the aim of addressing both the rising costs and waste associated with the fashion industry, ReDress Surfcoast was officially launched last week at the Anglesea Community House with a screening of the documentary Fashion Reimagined.

Attendees then discussed the activities individuals can participate in, either at home or in groups within their local community, to support the initiative’s sustainability goals as well as opportunities to upskill residents eager to learn how to sew, knit, darn and mend items.

Aireys Inlet local Michele Meehan, the driving force behind ReDress Surfcoast, said the group’s activities would follow the local book club model, with each Surf Coast community instigating and leading their own gatherings around the skills and happenings of most interest to them, whether it be establishing sewing clubs, organising clothes swaps, or running workshops.

The new ReDress Facebook page will then allow group members to advertise meet ups, share new ideas, connect with individuals with different skills and inspire each other to think creatively about the ways fashion items can be upcycled, repaired and regenerated to extend their life and keep them out of landfill.

“It’s all about learning different techniques and the achievement of learning to do something,” Ms Meehan said.

“That long-term goal would be that the area has the reputation for leading ideas about managing fashion waste, but also getting the message across to younger people about learning to sew, but also that 15 new clothes a week is not essential.

“You can be modern and up to date by creating your own fashion style. It doesn’t need to mean that you’ve got to buy it.”

She also hoping to encourage community members to participate in a monthly “fancy Friday” meet up to celebrate and provide opportunities to locals to wear the items they love, can’t bear to part with but also have few occasions to dress up in.

“What we do is we have lunch at the local pub wearing your fancy clothes, like the dress you got made for your son’s wedding, but you haven’t had a chance to wear it since, or your gorgeous business suit that you just can’t wear again because there’s nowhere to wear it.

“So, people just have lunch together and talk about why they bought it…just so there’s that sharing of the memories of the clothes that you’ve got.

“That’s why people don’t throw them out because they have a lot of good memories attached.”

The group is well-suited to people of all ages, skill levels and interests, Ms Meehan said, and everyone is encouraged to get involved, from young mums looking to learn how to repair and maintain their children’s clothes and those seeking to update their clothes, to locals who just enjoy the crafts of sewing, darning and repairing.

For more, join the ReDress page on Facebook.