Globally, people wear only 40% of the clothes in their wardrobes on average, with the vast majority of the remainder eventually discarded as waste, placing enormous pressure on the environment due to fast fashion. The global fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries. Australia is the second-largest consumer of textiles, with over 300,000 tonnes of clothing sent to landfills each year, contributing to environmental degradation.
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03-03, 2025The Melbourne Fashion Festival (MFF)'s active promotion of the upcycled designer concept is undoubtedly a welcome initiative, providing a platform for sustainable practices. This year's MFF, which opens on March 3rd, will feature the "New Again Runway," focusing on upcycling. The fashion show will showcase the work of emerging designers, including brands such as Perple, Sabatucci, Amy Cottrell, and Szn, who create using deadstock fabrics (clothing that would otherwise be discarded) and recycled materials, embodying the concept of turning waste into treasure.
These designers represent Australia's growing upcycling movement, dedicated to proving that "old" can, and even must, be "new again." Melbourne designer Sofia Stafford, founder of the brand Sabatucci, rose to fame in 2024 after designing an upcycled lace dress for Hollywood star Julia Fox. Her creations include flowing gowns and dreamy silhouettes, are size-inclusive, and not limited to gender classifications. This season, she draws inspiration from her ballet background and love of theatre and costume design, featuring cornflower blue hues and corset-style elements.
Stafford, working from her home studio in Bentleigh, southeast Melbourne, enjoys browsing second-hand shops, searching for discarded fabrics, buying old bedspreads, curtains, tablecloths, and lace doilies, and transforming them into gorgeous haute couture garments. "I look for high-quality lace doilies and old lingerie," Stafford said, "I find the process very beautiful, especially finding high-quality lace. It feels like a complete waste to just use them as tablecloths, so I turn them into clothes. The same goes for vintage tablecloths, I repurpose them to appreciate them in a different way."
Another Melbourne brand, Chilali, founded by Chi Weller, will be making its debut at this year's MFF. Weller sources fabrics for his bespoke garments, such as knitwear and tailored suits, from the thrift store Savers. "I fuse them together to create new, original pieces," he says, "I like upcycling these pieces, so instead of sketching out a design first, I buy first and then think about what I can create based on what I have. I love that I'm recycling and adopting sustainable practices." Weller will showcase 10 new looks at this year's MFF "New Again" runway, using hemp denim, cactus leather, and recycled materials to create edgy pieces.
Australian second-hand retailer Mutual Muse will also be participating in the Fashion Festival for the first time. Sian Stockdale, the store's e-commerce manager, has been working in fashion consignment since 2017 and says that demand for upcycled and second-hand goods is growing. "Upcycled fashion is on the rise; we can see this demand from the people who come to us to sell and upcycle their wardrobes," Stockdale said, "It's another way of looking at the fashion cycle - you don't need to buy new, you can recycle and still feel part of fashion - it's all about how you put it together, how you wear it, and what you give it."
Melbourne designer Huiliana Chandra-Curry, founder of the womenswear brand Perple, will also be participating in the "New Again" runway. Chandra-Curry abandoned the fast fashion industry in 2019 to focus on the slow fashion movement, and hasn't looked back since. "I used to produce and design for other brands every season, and I felt it was very wasteful," she said. Having children prompted her to reconsider her career path. "Becoming a mother for the first time made me start thinking about environmental issues, and I didn't want my children to live in a world where everyone was throwing fashion waste into landfills." Chandra-Curry's fashion pieces are made using deadstock fabrics that would otherwise be discarded. She says her customers appreciate this. "It's about changing our understanding of fashion, buying better things," she said. Perple is collaborating with handbag designer Alex Jon Hansen, who is using Perple's deadstock fabrics to create accessories for the runway show. "It's a double sustainable initiative, and it makes the whole collection more cohesive," Chandra-Curry said.
MFF CEO Caroline Ralphsmith said that holding a fashion show dedicated to upcycled fashion was to respect consumer demand. "Young people want to rebuy and recycle, demand is greater than ever, and so is renting clothes, so it makes sense that we are leaning into circular demand because people want choice," she said, "There is a growing awareness of the environmental impact of the entire fashion industry, and it is very important to us to do the right thing. If we can change behaviour by changing the way we communicate fashion, then we are doing a good thing."
