Did you know Australia, with its sunshine and laid-back lifestyle, holds a surprising title: the world's biggest consumer of textiles per capita? While the average American buys 53 new garments a year, Australians manage to surpass that number, clocking in at a staggering 56! This, compared to fashion powerhouses like the UK (33) and China (30), paints a concerning picture of our fast-fashion habits.
However, amidst this trend of mass consumption, a vibrant movement is flourishing – sustainable fashion designed and produced right here in Australia. Local designers are passionately tackling the environmental and ethical issues of fast fashion by creating beautiful, high-quality clothing with a conscience.
Established in 2017, EFWA 2024 is proud to be a platform for these talented individuals. This year's event will showcase a diverse range of Australian designers, each with a unique story and approach to sustainable fashion. Let’s Meet the local designers showcasing their work at EFWA 2024.
Anzara Clark, Temple of Redress
As a multidisciplinary artist from Australia, Anzara is constantly experimenting, following inspiration and her own curiosity as she explores new possibilities for materials, processes, visual narratives and conceptual expression in her studio practice. With a focus mainly on the application of textile and printmaking techniques on paper, she uses new and repurposed papers, along with textiles and other recycled and found objects to explore layered narratives and visual poetics. Garment forms and fragments feature prominently in her work as rich vehicles for storytelling and poetry. She employs repetitive processes to obscure the nature of her materials until viewed closely and intends her works to challenge assumptions about material value. Working across a range of mediums and genres, she’s fascinated with exploring themes of individual and cultural identity, archetypes and icons, memory and myth, fragility and resilience, significant human transitions and transformative experiences. Her work is driven by an intense curiosity that finds endless inspiration and opportunities for creative experimentation from seeking beauty in damage, wounding and imperfection.
Learn more at @anzaraclarkartist or visit www.anzaraclark.com
Rebecca Rickard, Deadly Denim
Rebecca is a Ballardong, Whadjuk woman from the Nyungar nation living and working in Perth, W.A. She’s the visionary behind Deadly Denim (@deadly_denim_). Deadly Denim stands for sustainability and circularity as a label and an organization. It all begins with recycled denim from local Boorloo (Perth, Western Australia) op shops. Then their DD x artists create unique designs that are digitally, or screen printed onto textiles. The artworks are worked into the denims to create unique Deadly Denim garments. The label has grown since it first started with a small collection of 20 recycled denim jackets at the Cinefest Film festival. Over the past 12 months, Deadly Denim has added DD jacket workshops as part of their label, working in settings such as services working with victims of domestic violence, correctional facilities, Department of Communities, youth groups and local high schools. The workshops have created a space to share our love for recycling denim and First Nation textiles. “Art is an access point for people to come together and connect with culture,” says Rebecca. “When art and fashion come together under the value of sustainability, it creates a safe space for people to ask questions, tell stories, and learn from each other.”
To learn more, visit www.deadlydenim.com.au @deadly_denim_
Nina Lavarini Dawson, BirdTribe Wearable Art
Inspired by the lush tropical forests of North Queensland, Nina’s creations capture the subtle essence of nature and the forest through her botanical printing and eco-dyeing techniques.
BirdTribe’s natural fiber clothing and textiles are a journey into the wonderful world of plants, where leaves, pods, and flowers imprint their striking color diversity and beauty onto the cloth. Nina’s passion for ethnobotany and commitment to sustainability drive her to use only natural dyes and biodegradable materials, ensuring her garments return to the earth without a toxic legacy.
Beyond fashion, BirdTribe is an immersive cultural experience that reminds us of our connection to the earth. Nina’s photography showcases her designs blending seamlessly into natural environments, visually achieving the reconnection she seeks to inspire in her audience.
Follow @birdtribewearableart and visit birdtribe.etsy.com to learn more.
Bobbie Selleck, Em3rgent Art Glass.
Bobbie Selleck is an emerging artist who is drawn to the fluidity, purity of colour and vibrancy of glass to express the natural world. Using glass and mixed media, Bobbie creates unique jewellery and other sculptures reflecting the colour, form and relationship with local gamma-flora.
Throughout her career as an environmentalist Bobbie’s passion has been exploring and learning about the amazing Australian flora and fauna. Her inspiration is drawn from spending many hours in the bush learning and soaking in the diverse and unique landscape and wildlife, from the iridescent flash of greens and blue as a large flock of budgerigars change direction as one in the Great Sandy Desert, or diving on pristine reefs in the northwest ‘to watching the snowfall whilst brumbies graze in the Snowy Mountains, Bobbie strives to capture these colours and form in her work.
To learn more visit www.em3rgent.com.au/em3rgent-art-glass-shop or check out their facebook page: www.facebook.com/rjsbeadworkcreations/
Lee Nelson, Felt Girl
At Felt Girl, fashion meets art and environmental consciousness, where you will find uniquely upcycled, eco-conscious wearable art pieces, turning ordinary thrift finds into extraordinary fashion statements. Lee’s journey started with a passion for thrifting. She transforms thrifted treasures into funky, wearable art using luxurious merino wool and silk. Each piece is a statement of creativity and eco-friendly fashion. Creating these pieces is not just her passion, it’s a lifestyle. Along with her mother, she treasures their op-shopping adventures, where they find the perfect items to upcycle. These moments are stitched into every design, making them truly special. Felt Girl is more than a brand; it’s a movement for the fashion-conscious and eco-aware. As a disability-owned enterprise, it’s a symbol of creativity overcoming barriers.
Learn more about Felt Girl at https://feltgirl.square.site/ or simply follow @feltgirl01.
Scarlett Pragya, Secrets of the East
This label is a symbiosis of historical Indian craft with the zestful spirit and style of Australia.
Secrets of the East aims to stand as a beacon of ethical elegance and sustainable living, celebrating the fusion of the East and the West through a curated collection of life-enhancing offerings. Every product tells a story of heritage, crafted with the utmost respect for nature and human ingenuity.Secrets of the East is more than a brand – it’s an immersive cultural experience, promising empowerment and celebrating Scarlett’s dual heritage.
Follow @secretsoftheeast_au and learn more at www.secretsoftheeast.com.au
Danna Stevenson, Danji+Moto
Danna created Danji+Moto to offer a sustainable fashion alternative and to educate people about the environmental and social impact of what we wear. At Danji+Moto, the clothes are all made in Australia, from the best fibres they can source, like hemp, organic cotton, and recycled fabrics. Danna also provides workshops, teaching people about sustainable fashion and how to mend, upcycle, and dye clothing to give it a longer life. Danna passionately cares about creating alternative options and reducing the environmental impact of fashion.
Learn more at @danjimotodesigns
Leuca Jane Ziemons, Melaleuca Rise
Ziemons is an interdisciplinary artist, practice-led researcher and slow fashion designer. Her art practice encompasses installation works, narrative textile collections, traditional printmaking, sound and projection. Her runway collections are one-of-one narrative garments meticulously crafted to tell a story, evoking emotions and sparking wonder. These unique pieces are each imbued with their own unique narrative, often designed alongside an associated art exhibition, her collections are expressions of creativity, culture, and identity. Inspired by themes ranging from historical events to personal experiences, these collections serve as the cornerstone of her creative process. Informed by the patterns and silhouettes showcased on the runway, the label’s made-to-order garments carry forward the essence and spirit of their runway collections. Each piece is crafted with precision and care, ensuring that the narrative woven into those creations is seamlessly translated into wearable, made-to-order garments. Follow @melaleucarise and learn more at www.melaleucarise.com
Natalia Rodrigo, Beads ‘N Pods
Beads ‘N Pods is a visionary sustainable fashion brand that transforms discarded coffee pods into striking upcycled art and delightful wearable pieces.
Natalia’s passion for reducing waste and celebrating the beauty in second chances drives her to breathe new life into millions of coffee pods, rescuing them from landfills and turning them into sustainable jewelry, accessories, and unique art pieces.
Beads ‘N Pods is more than a brand - it’s a movement that inspires eco-conscious living and the power of creativity to make a difference. Each Beads ‘N Pods creation tells a story of heritage, crafted with the utmost respect for nature and human ingenuity.
Follow @beadsnpods and visit beadsnpods.com to learn more. Together, let’s recycle with care, reinvent with love, and reclaim our planet with passion.
Saskia Baur Schmidt, Hyph-n
The visionary label, Hyph-n champions a more sustainable creative process fueled by minimalism, restraint and considered exactitude. It is their aim to challenge the traditional notion of sustainable fashion by synthesising environmentally friendly practices with edgy, timeless and sophisticated designs by encouraging a radical change in fashion production and consumption, for a wasteless future.
The label’s clothes are fit for the future we want to live in; where design philosophy is cemented in designs that inspire a slowing down of fashion’s cycles, producing in limited quantity, and designing with longevity and trans-seasonality in mind.
The brand focuses on zero waste pattern cutting, modern silhouettes and challenging the aesthetics of sustainable fashion by encouraging less consumption, more wear and provoking more educated decisions based on fabrication and quality, and how our choices impact the world we live in.
Learn more at @_hyph_n or visit www.hyph-n.com.au/
Annika Hauschild, Studio|Hau
Studio|Hau is an Australian handmade jewellery brand, that embodies versatility, uniqueness, and timelessness in its jewellery creations, made to last. Founded in 2016, studio|hau is the creative expression of Annika Hauschild. Inspired by the contours of nature; Annika’s uniquely designed pieces draw influence from objects and architecture of the famous ‘Bauhaus Movement’, Berlin’s techno scene, and the city itself. By restructuring organic shapes into abstract, minimalist, and at times geometric designs, Annika achieves contemporary, clean sophistication with a hint of elegance in each creation. The label’s unwavering commitment lies in embracing sustainable and ethical practices to minimise their environmental footprint and contribute to the healing of our planet.
Follow @studiohau and learn more about them here: www.studio-hau.com.au
Tanya Stewart, Koi Girl
It is a Perth-based brand that up-cycles authentic vintage silk kimono and obi into exquisite and unique handbags, accessories, and shoes, thus transforming them into stunning pieces that retain their inherent beauty. The label’s focus on sustainability and ethical fashion ensures that their up-cycled designs are not only stylish but also environmentally conscious. By reimagining these vintage pieces, they create contemporary collections that are both beautiful and socially responsible. Koi Girl is as much about reinvention as it is retelling. Because Japanese culture is rich with symbolism, behind each piece of fabric is a meaningful story.
By repurposing these beautiful fabrics, Koi Girl owner and designer Tanya Stewart is not only bringing new life to the garments, but re-telling their story - in a new way. The products come to life - and when a customer chooses a product because something in the pattern or fabric resonates with them, a new story is born.
Follow @koi_girl_handbags and learn more about them here: https://koigirl.com.au/
Llynnette Neil, Ravencroft Textile Studio
As a child of the 1940s, Llynnette was made very aware of rationing, of not only food but textiles as well. The slogan “Make Do And Mend” was everywhere. This philosophy has remained as a mindset for her ever since. Her collection is made from all natural fabrics such as silk, cotton and vintage wool that have either been recycled, gifted or found in op shops in her local area. By using preloved, recycled textiles she has therefore prevented them from being added to the growing mountain of discarded “Fast Fashion” that is adding to pollution all over the world.
For more information, visit the following link: www.facebook.com/ravenscrofttextilestudio
Stay tuned for the rest of the designers of EFWA 2024 in Part 2!
Now, why is supporting these local designers so important?
Here are just a few reasons:
Reduced Environmental Impact: Sustainable designers prioritize eco-friendly materials and ethical production processes, minimizing their environmental footprint.
Quality and Longevity: Locally-made clothing is often crafted with superior quality materials and construction, ensuring garments last longer and reduce overall clothing waste.
Unique Style: Australian designers inject a touch of local flair into their collections, offering garments that express individuality and stand out from the mass-produced fast-fashion crowd.
Supporting Local Businesses: By choosing local designers, you directly contribute to the livelihood of Australian creatives and strengthen the local fashion industry.
EFWA 2024 is your chance to discover a world of sustainable fashion made in Australia, for Australia. Come explore the stunning collections, meet the passionate designers behind them, and take a step towards a more conscious and stylish wardrobe.
Stay tuned! In November 2024, we'll be introducing you to some of the incredible local and international designers who will be gracing the EFWA 2024 runway. Get ready to be inspired by their talent, dedication, and innovative approach to sustainable fashion!