Grampians Central West WRRG invites you to explore the ideas of Sustainable Fashion through a number of workshops being held during August.
We are dedicated to working with slow clothing industry leaders to engage communities and schools to raise awareness about the ethical and environmental cost of our dominant throwaway textile culture. We apply a re-style, re-use and repair approach to everything we are doing in this space. We have created the program below to complement National Op-Shop Week, which will be held in September this year.
National Op Shop Week seeks to raise awareness of the important role of charity op shops in our community and
- boost donations of quality clothing and household goods to charity op shops
- boost charity op shop sales
- recognise the tremendous work of the volunteers and staff dedicated to supporting their charity op shops
Sustainable Fashion Week – Launch
The Launch of Sustainable Fashion Week will take place in Ballarat.
It is a free event (as are all of our events for this week), but you must register to ensure you secure your place.
Sunday 26th August 2018
Art Gallery of Ballarat
3pm – 5pm, light refreshments will be available
Guest speakers: Jane Milburn and Bianca Flint
They will be talking all things Op Shop, upcycling and ethical fashion.
We will also have guest models displaying upcycled creations.
Bookings are essential and should be made at: https://sustainablefashionweeklaunch.eventbrite.com.au
by no later than Wednesday 22 August.
You can check out more information on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1874207769325152
Sustainable Fashion Week Presenters
Jane Milburn
Every day, we eat and we dress. We have become conscious of our food, it is time to become more conscious of our clothing.
Textile Beat is a social enterprise inspiring a creative approach to the way we dress, through a slow clothing philosophy. We believe in ethical, sustainable choices that don’t harm people or the planet. We want to know the story about where clothing comes from and we believe in care and repair, refashion and restyle of existing clothing using simple sewing skills.
We encourage you to slow down, take stock and consider the substance, not just the style, of the clothes you choose to wear. Become conscious of your wardrobe: buy less, choose natural fibres, mend what you have, value story, love second-hand and vintage, refuse cheap fashion, avoid toxic dyes, read labels, restyle what you have, share and swap, or buy ethical brands. If it suits you to do so, be empowered to sew, restyle and refashion clothing already in circulation.
Jane Milburn established Textile Beat in 2013 at Brisbane Australia to embrace natural fibres and upcycle existing natural-fibre garments for pleasure, reward and sustainability.
Check out Jane’s website: https://textilebeat.com/
Andrea Taylor
Andrea has 20 years of expertise in Japanese mending techniques. She will be doing a talk about her experiences of the textiles of Japan, having visited about 5 times in recent years to search out textiles predominantly. She is very interested in the art of Boro, a patchworking technique where items are mended, reworked and re-purposed and often dyed a deep indigo blue colour. This relates to the idea of wasting nothing and finding a use and a purpose for every little scrap.
Andrea has been to see Boro textiles at the Amuse museum in Asakusa Tokyo, Saori weavers & the Shibori museum in Kyoto, the amazing and little known Kasuri Ikat Weavers and indigo dyers in Kyushu, and the textiles of the indigenous Aniu of Hokkaido. She has a short film that accompanies her talk and also samples of textiles to show. She is also skilled in the art of Sashiko mending techniques.
As well as sharing her knowledge of these skills and techniques, some of Andrea’s pieces of work will be on show.
You can also see Andrea’s creations on Etsy at: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/BitternByTheBug
Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald
Do you have holes in your clothes and don’t know how to fix them? Learn the art of visible mending – a fun, colourful alternative to traditional mending – and make your clothes better than new with professional mender Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald. You’ll learn how to create patches out of your favourite fabric, nicer than any you might buy in the shops. And you’ll learn needle-felting – a quick, addictive alternative to darning that will have you fixing all your winter woolies in no time. Mending tools and supplies will be provided; No prior mending experience is required.
Erin’s website has lots of great information: https://www.erinlewisfitzgerald.com/
Bianca Flint
Bianca Flint is a professional Op Shopper, Stylist and Sustainable Fashion advocate. Through her business, The Wardrobe Green, Bianca runs workshops and shopping tours that educate and encourage women to shop more sustainably and embrace Preloved Fashion. Bianca is passionate about empowering women to find their own sense of style, be body positive and shop mindfully.
Bianca’s work can be seen on Instagram: @Hattieswardrobegreen
and is also on display at Hatties and the Wolf, 218a Skipton Street Ballarat
Sustainable Fashion Week Events
Monday 27th August
Lerderderg Library,
215 Main Street Bacchus Marsh
6 – 7pm
Guest Speaker: Jane Milburn – Sustainable Fashion
Bookings: https://slowclothingbacchusmarsh.eventbrite.com.au
by no later than Friday 24th August
Check out our Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/253391675269631
Tuesday 28th August
Maryborough Neighbourhood House,
23 Primrose Street Maryborough
10.30am – 12.30pm
Guest Speaker: Jane Milburn – ‘The Process of Mending’ workshop
please bring something in need of repair (or upcycling), and snacks/lunch
Bookings: https://processofmendingworkshop.eventbrite.com.au
by no later than Friday 24th August
Check out our Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/299918923905680
Tuesday 28th August
Daylesford Neighbourhood House,
13 Camp Street Daylesford
11am – 2pm
Guest Speaker: Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald – Visible Mending workshop
Please bring clothing in need of repair and fabric/thread you want to use, as well as snacks/lunch
Bookings: https://visiblemendingworkshopdaylesford.eventbrite.com.au
by no later than Friday 24th August
Check out our Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/447939439038489
Tuesday 28th August
**change of venue**
Trentham Neighbourhood Centre,
cnr of Market & High Streets, Trentham
6 – 7pm
Guest Speaker: Jane Milburn – Slow Clothing talk
Bookings: https://slowclothingdaylesford.eventbrite.com.au
by no later than Friday 24th August
Check out our Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/270547900391823
Wednesday 29th August
Salvos Store Sebastopol,
cnr Beverin & Gray Streets Sebastopol
10 – 11am
Guest Speaker: Jane Milburn – Slow Clothing
Bookings: https://slowclothingsalvossebastopol.eventbrite.com.au
by no later than Friday 24th August
Check out our Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/209086693099628
Wednesday 29th August
Salvos Store Sebastopol,
cnr Beverin & Gray Streets Sebastopol
11.30am – 12.30pm
Guest Speaker: Andrea Taylor – Japanese Mending Techniques (including examples of her work)
Bookings: https://artofjapanesemending.eventbrite.com.au
by no later than Friday 24th August
Check out our Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1869781986652166
Wednesday 29th August
Salvos Store Sebastopol,
cnr Beverin and Gray Streets
1.20 – 3pm
Guest Speaker: Bianca Flint – Styling yourself, Being Body Confident and Finding Op Shop treasures
Bookings: https://opshoppingstyle.eventbrite.com.au
by no later than Friday 24th August
Check out our Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/256540818278157
Wednesday 29th August
Creswick Neighbourhood Centre,
21/19 Victoria Street Creswick
6 – 8pm
Guest Speaker: Jane Milburn – Slow Clothing
Bookings: https://slowclothingcreswick.eventbrite.com.au
by no later than Friday 24th August
Check out our Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2071746783085892
Saturday 25th August and Saturday 1st September
Vintage Treasures Op Shop Tour,
run by local Ballarat business – Hattie and the Wolf
Tickets are $55 per person and places are limited.
For more information and Bookings, please go to: www.hattieandthewolf.com.au