FABUK Magazine: Australia’s biggest sustainable fashion festival is aiming to set a world record while encouraging the public to embrace eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable fashion

The longest jetty in the southern hemisphere (and the second longest in the world) will be transformed into what is hoped will be the world’s longest catwalk this November, to become the centrepiece of Australia’s biggest-ever sustainable fashion festival.

Photo: Zuhal Kuvan-Mills. Model: Phoebe Marinich

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Zuhâl Kuvan-Mills: Age Doesn’t Define Who You Can Be

Thanks to international media partner Sherry Kallergis from AT FORTY FIVE

Zuhâl Kuvan-Mills is living proof age may define who you are, but it doesn’t define who you can be.

At 26 she was a veterinarian, 36 a science teacher, 46 an art student, 56 an eco-fashion designer, and 60 the driving force behind Eco Fashion Week Australia 2022 3rd International Fashion Art Shows and Exhibitions.

I met with her in Vancouver at the end of a whirlwind showing at Vancouver Fashion Week. Born in Turkey, she spent years in England and currently resides in Australia. One may wonder how being a veterinarian could possibly be connected to designing couture fashion, but as Zuhâl shares her story, it all falls into line.

One of three children, born in Turkey, she learned to knit and sew at a young age. She always loved colors and creating. In Turkey, higher education was provided at no cost, and she chose to be a veterinarian because it was a career out of the ordinary. In her class, she was only one of a few females, so she is very familiar with working in a men’s world.

Zuhal at home in Australia Image Credit: Dhrumit Patel

Zuhâl launched the first Eco Fashion Week Australia in 2017 and is busy planning to host the world’s longest and largest Sustainable Fashion Art Shows & Exhibitions in Western Australia. Titled The Closet of The Anthropocene, it will run from November 4, 2022, to Feb 5, 2023. Artists and designers will share their perspectives on ecological issues and focus on themes related to climate change.

She is also an eco-fashion couture designer with two Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) certified lines; Green Embassy and Atelier Zuhal. You may wonder what defines eco-fashion? Zuhâl relates it to slow fashion. She does not compete with fast or throwaway fashion that is so prevalent today. Zero-waste is a priority along with ethical production, which is why she makes her own fabrics using alpaca wool from her farm. She is cognizant and respectful of Aboriginal cultures and ways of living. When she moved to England, thrift shops were all the rage and she loved creating amazing fashion using her finds. Soon her friends were asking her to re-create looks for them. It wasn’t until much later in her life, though, after marriage, children, and long, tiring years in education, she decided to go back to university to get a Visual Arts Degree. Then on the move to Australia, designing and eco-fashion fell together.

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At Forty Five: Ethereal Pineapple Silk Gowns and Lingerie Creations: Leah Kelly →

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Thanks to international media partner Sherry Kallergis from AT FORTY FIVE

Leah Kelly, Designer and Creator of Organic Wearable Art, just finished showing her beautiful gowns at the 2021 London Fashion Show. They were met with rave reviews. Margaret River Hemp Co. shared this beautiful video of some of the show.

We first met Leah and her beautiful gowns on the runway at Eco-Fashion Week Australia 2018. (The 2022 Eco Fashion Weeks schedule is set to open November 4) Her creations are made of pure organic hemp, bamboo, hemp silk, and pineapple silk. The pineapple silk garnered excited interest as many are unfamiliar with the fabric.

The diaphanous material is woven from pineapple fibers. When you rub the gloss off the tops of pineapple, there are millions of tiny fibers are woven into a thread. The cloth, known as piña, was popular in the 14th century, reaching far into Greek and African countries from the Philippines. In the courtesan courts of France during the 16th century, the cloth was prized for its softness, delicate sheerness, and luxurious sheen. The gossamer-like fabric though is long-lasting, durable. Popular into the 19th century, the lower prices of cotton and mass production led to its demise. Only in the last twenty years is the prized material making a comeback.

Leah Kelly started using it to make French knickers and now counts it as a key option for brides looking for eco-friendly, sustainable, and unique fabric choices.

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StyleDrama: Celebrating Best Emerging Australian Eco-Fashion Designers

Check out international media partner Edward Quan of StyleDrama’s great coverage of our Eco Fashion Week Australia 2018 award winners including Regina Bochat (Best Australian Student Designer Award), Tayla Parnham of Fabric of Nature (Best Australian Emerging Designer Award), Pearlita Orongan (Best Australian home sustainable garment award) and Sheridan Joyce of Skylark the Label (Australian Made Design Award). You can read the full article HERE!