Category Archives: sustainability

Sew 243 – Opshop finds need no-sew

Last year National Op Shop Week came and went without much of a ripple – in contrast to this year when there has been an incredible media response, including from New Corp HQ.

Hats off the Jon Dee from Do Something Near You and the National Association for Charitable Recycling Organisations for raising the profile of the important role op shops play in our society and highlighting how we can contribute by donating, buying and volunteering.

News Corp Australia became involved as part of its 1 Degree environmental sustainability initiative, which is about the small steps we can all take that add up to big change and lead to a sustainable future. That’s so aligned with my Sew it Again project, refashioning existing clothing. Continue reading →

Sew 242 – Op shop uncut

Individual tastes and preferences in the clothes we chose to wear each day are what set us apart. For those who want to be on-trend followers of fashion, there’s a $1.7 trillion global fashion industry catering to their needs.

But in the past two decades as the world has become saturated with perfectly good clothing that no one is wearing – creative ways of sourcing pre-loved clothing have emerged including swaps and swishes, online resale, markets, vintage shops and of course charity/opportunity/thrift shops.

The beauty of op shops is we can donate clothes to them when they no longer suit our needs – and make a financial and sustainability contribution by buying clothes from them to create unique looks combining random finds that work together. Continue reading →

Sew 239 – Small tuck revives castoff

It was great to have a reason to head to Byron Bay yesterday, playing tour guide around the lighthouse and Wategos for my New Zealand cousin Keri and her offspring Olivia and Liam.

Although I didn’t buy anything, I took the opportunity to chat with Glen Casey who owns the new Patagonia – Byron store and learn about the company’s impressive environmental and social commitment.

The integrity of Patagonia products is reflected right through the company and includes the Common Threads Partnership to encourage recycling and reducing consumption by creating products that last a long time. The partnership is fostering a culture of reduce, reuse, repair, recycle and reimagine to lower our collective environmental impact. A fabulous ethos underpinning a great clothing company. Continue reading →

Sew 237 – Kate wears opshop crochet

Here’s my gorgeous niece Kate wearing an earth-toned crocheted wool vest with a silk top and two strands of indigenous beads made from seeds and wood.

All of these items were found in op shops and with it being National Op Shop Week from August 24 to Sunday 31, Kate is modelling a series of outfits styled from charity shop finds that only require a wash and go.

Although Kate now works in a pharmacy, she spent several years managing a clothing store so knows how the fashion business works to flatter individual features and bring outfits together. Continue reading →

Sew 236 – Upcycled opshop cashmere

National Op Shop Week begins today and will bring focus to the role of opportunity shops in extending the useful life of consumer goods. By donating to, or purchasing from, op shops we tangibly make a social, ethical and sustainable contribution to society.

Most of us have much more clothing than we need in our wardrobes and It makes sense to shift things we no longer need or want – or have never worn.

I’m such a big supporter of op shops that I’ve accumulated more than I need, particularly seeking out natural-fibre clothing made of linen, wool, cashmere, silk and cotton. Only one-third of modern clothing is made from natural fibres, with the majority two-thirds being made from synthetic fibres or petroleum. Continue reading →

Sew 235 – Refashed hand-knit jumper

Hand knitting has undergone a resurgence in recent years due to many factors – the recession, a desire for authentic and long-lasting garments, individual expression, and the reassurance and warmth of traditional crafts.

Although I knit scarves, I don’t have the patience to knit whole garments – yet I value them and love discovering rejects in op shops where some are dispatched to find new owners and purposes.

You can tell if garments are made of wool by the feel, weight and smell of the fibres (particularly when wet), by looking at them in the sunshine (wool doesn’t glisten) or doing the flame test to a thread (wool will smolder not ignite). Continue reading →

Sew 232 – Cheap disposable clothing, not

Some clothing has become so cheap and available in the 21st century that it is effectively disposable, with most items worn only once or twice before being discarded.

This cheap fast fashion, like cheap fast food, satisfies an immediate need to dress for the day – but the true social, ethical and ecological impact is not yet understood.

We know the world wastes about one-third of the food it produces and we are only beginning to grapple with clothing and textile waste.

FAO data on fibre apparel use shows we now consume clothing at three times the rate we did two decades ago. Since 1992, global population has increased by 25 percent and textile consumption by 80 percent. In 1992, we each used 7kg and that increased to 11kg per person by 2010 – with most of the increase being synthetic fibres, derived from petroleum. Synthetic fibres that are cheap, readily available, ultimately unsatisfying and disposable. Continue reading →

Sew 230 – Clothing mellows to cushions

There comes a time in every garment’s life when its wearable dash is done and it is one step away from the rubbish bin.

These cushions are made from op-shop found jumpers and jackets that I’ve upcycled to breathe new life into my old wicker veranda couch. The jacket buttons make for easy cushion stuffing, while the jumpers are machine-stitched at one end and tacked or pinned at the other.

I can date the couch back to 1982, purchased new in Horsham, Victoria, when I worked there in my first professional job as a rural reporter with the ABC. While it is a little scary to declare that history – I like the fact that this wicker is still sitting on the verandah doing its job 32 years later. Continue reading →

Sew 227 – Refashioning op-shop wool

Natural resources are finite and it is great to see Sweden announcing that it has created technology to recycle all materials that contain cellulose, as reported in The Guardian recently.

Apparently old cotton clothes are brought into a factory where they are shredded and mulched into porridge-like goop from which the non-recyclable pieces like zips and buttons are removed. The goop is then further broken down before being turned into a fibre substance which become threads and then rayon-like fabric. Reconstituted fabric is a mechanical way to reuse the mountain of waste clothing generated by fast fashion.

A creative way of reusing natural fibres is by individual refashion – cutting and resewing existing clothing to suit your own needs. This is what I’m doing every day this year with Sew it Again and Sew 227 is a refashion of wool garments from various op shop excursions. Continue reading →

Sew 221 – Coming full circle

Our journeys through life are all different, yet most are trying our best at being and doing, playing and working at the level of consciousness on which we’re operating. We look after hearth and home, support our family and friends, and reach out to career networks and opportunities.

This year I’ve come full circle. Like a homing pigeon – I’ve been out there and now I’m coming back to base. I’m applying everything I’ve learned through various career roles and professional development opportunities to create a homespun campaign to shift our thinking about what we wear. Continue reading →