A jumper-skirt is teamed with an upcycled jacket that has its hemline recast as a collar to become Sew it Again #76 of 365.

Creative resewing of existing clothing is one of several ways eco-conscious consumers can be part of the sustainable fashion movement which has strengthened after the Rana Plaza fire in Bangladesh raised awareness of the deathly high cost of cheap clothing choices.

If you want to rethink the way you dress, there are four options (summarised below) outlined by Dominica Lim in a Verily Magazine article “What kind of eco-fashionista are you?”

THE CREATIVE: Rally girlfriends for a clothing swap party or engage in fun DIY projects to usher in new style statements.

THE INVESTOR: Think quality over quantity and price per wear. Before you buy ask yourself, will I wear this more than 10 times? Will I be able to wear this next season? Why am I buying this? No matter how fast fashion is, a staple piece that makes you feel your best self is absolutely timeless.

THE EXPLORER: If you’re the wanderlust type, thrifting is for you! Browse through past eras for fashion that inspires you. Finding a local tailor is also handy in re-purposing some of your fantastic finds into custom-made pieces just for you.

THE ACTIVIST: If you’re concerned about the role fashion plays in the environment or animals, consider checking out Ecouterre’s website that updates you on the current landscape of all things eco and ethical. Seek out brands that are reusing, upcycling or Fair Trade-certified.

I’ve leapt off the deep-end this year as an eco-fashionista doing all of the above with my Sew it Again campaign. I EXPLORE opportunity shops to INVEST in existing natural-fibre clothing that I repurpose in CREATIVE ways and then ACTIVELY share what I’m doing out of concern for ecological health of our planet.

I found resonance in this Mind Body Green article on things that happen on the wild adventure when you take the big risk to pursue your dreams. And I found inspiration in hearing Philippa Nikulinsky’s dedicated five-decade journey as a botanical artist.

She has worked true to values and dreams, working consistently around obstacles and blocks to now have an amazing body of work which has all been archived in photos taken by husband Alex and published in many books, articles and objects.

Despite working in what some consider an ‘old-fashioned’ art-form, Philippa said she has “confidence in what I do, love what I do, and will continue to go against the tide’. There are collectors who highly value Philippa’s work and it is hard to not be compelled by amazing work like the year-long time-lapse drawings of the stages of Banksia menziesii flowers.

At a Western Australian Embroiderers’ Guild Against the Stream talk yesterday looking back over her career achievements, Philippa says she’s amazed at how much she has done and how much is in print. One step at a time, she has been determinedly doing, learning, adapting and achieving a spectacular end result.

My project for this year is resewing existing clothing for a second life. This skirt was a wool jumper converted to a skirt in a simple process of cutting off below the arms, reshaping and inserting elastic at the waist. The jacket is jacquard linen that was long and collarless, from which I removed the shoulder pads and took in at the shoulders. I cropped off the bottom to shorten it and reapplied this as a collar, and repositioned a button to disguise a small stain.