A recent day surgery led Creative Director and President of Eco Fashion Week Australia, Dr Zuhal Kuvan-Mills, leaving hospital with the inspiration to reduce textile waste and repurpose hospital uniforms, whilst also fundraising in support of cancer patients.
Dr Zuhal Kuvan-Mills undertook carpal tunnel surgery at St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital when an idea to repurpose caregiver scrubs into a fashion line was borne.
“I was speaking to the nurse on duty pre-surgery, and we talked about the amount of potential textile waste across many industries where staff wear uniforms. A discussion with this environmentally conscious nurse on her uniform’s potential destiny just before I entered the operating theatre was the source of my idea,” said Dr Zuhal Kuvan-Mills.
With the idea firmly planted, Dr Kuvan-Mills then discovered St John of God Foundation’s ‘Gift of Hope’ project, which supports cancer patients experiencing financial hardship related to their treatment.
In discussion with Eco Fashion Week Australia‘s local designers, Green Embassy, Fabric Of Nature and Deadly Denim, Dr Kuvan-Mills inspired the group to create a clothing collection from hospital uniforms to present during what has now become a month-long sustainable fashion festival in Busselton and Perth between 1st-30th November 2024.
Photography - Zuhal Kuvan-Mills, Models (Left to Right) - Talisha Lee, Hayley Beardman, Esma Dogan , Payton Robertson - Hopa, Location: St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals
Titled ‘Aqua’, and inspired by water shortages and changing weather patterns, the collection will be shown during the month-long festival, and offered for sale on the show night of 16th November at Midland Junction Arts Centre, with all proceeds donated to St John of God Foundation’s Gift of Hope project.
Part of the collection will also feature on the opening night of the festival on Friday 1st November, which will also seek to set a world record with a 3.6km fashion catwalk over the Indian Ocean on Busselton Jetty, with local, national and international designers, as well as many creative community groups participating.
Photography - Zuhal Kuvan-Mills, Models (Left to Right) - Payton Robertson - Hopa, Esma Dogan, Talisha Lee, Hayley Beardman, Location: St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals
About Eco Fashion Week Australia
Eco Fashion Week Australia (EFWA), Sustainable Fashion Festival, is a ground-breaking month-long community event that promises to transform the Australian fashion landscape and redefine the industry.
2024 will be the fourth time the international festival of sustainable fashion arts has taken place. It will bring together fashion enthusiasts, designers and sustainability advocates from Australia and around the world in a packed programme of events, set against the stunning backdrop of WA’s South West region in Busselton and Perth.
Some of the events festival-goers can expect to see include:
Opening parade
Fashion Runway Shows
Artist talks and workshops
Fashion art exhibitions
Textile art exhibition
Pop-up shops
Upcycling challenge
Seminars
Community sustainable fashion and art exhibitions
Clothes swap and repair café
Entertainment
The festival will provide a global stage for designers to present fashion in the new age of the Anthropocene, a term used to describe an epoch shaped by the impact of human activity on climate change.
The Sustainable Fashion Festival 24 will present ‘Closet of the Anthropocene’ to showcase the collections of 52 international and Australian designers and diverse community groups, who source sustainable materials and textiles to create unique pieces.
More information www.ecofashionweekaustralia.com
Contact:
Dr Zuhal Kuvan-Mills
Eco Fashion Week Australia
Ph 0407 479520
About St John of God Foundation
St John of God Foundation raises vital funds for innovations in health care with the greatest potential to improve clinical outcomes and quality of life for St John of God Health Care patients, clients and their loved ones.
Every story of human impact – from innovative cancer treatment to breakthroughs in medical research – has only been made possible thanks to the generosity and compassion of people in our communities.
Every dollar donated brings us closer to making a life-changing impact to the life of someone in need.
To learn more about St John of God Foundation, Gifts of Hope or to directly support this life-changing initiatives, please contact Rachel Bruechle, Director of Community Engagement, at St John of God Foundation.
Contact:
Rachel Bruechle
St John of God Foundation Director of Community Engagement
Phone: 0429 108 862 or 1800 281 288
Email: Rachel.Bruechle@sjog.org.au