Culture change is coming

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The burying and burning secrets are out. A culture shift is happening as individuals and groups respond in various ways to reducing fashion waste and creating a more sustainable clothing culture. We all have capacity to change and influence behaviours when we believe in something and are comfortable to defy convention and conditioning.

Evidence continues to mount that we are overusing resources, indulging in wasteful consumption, polluting our atmosphere and oceans with CO2 and plastic. As individuals we can influence change through more responsible purchasing decisions, while we wait (sometimes in vain) for national governments to adopt sensible policy.

Sustainable and slow clothing opportunities in three states: Jane Milburn with Ana at Parkes New South Wales workshop, speaking at Revive Brisbane in Queensland, and with La Vergne Lehmann in Victoria.

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Authenticity for the win

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‘Show up as your natural, authentic self – anything else is contrived’ – Jane Milburn

The clothes we choose make a statement of who we are. They are a big part of our lives because we dress at least once a day. Clothes can cause us stress, clutter our space and soak up time.

Slow Clothing emerged as a narrative for we – the wearers – about how we can think, choose and wear clothes to ensure they bring meaning, value and joy to every day. This is not about fashion values, more about ethics, sustainability and our own creativity.

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A commonsense approach

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The simplest way to reduce our material footprint is wear clothes that already exist and wear them for longer. Less shopping and washing makes economic and ecological sense.

At no time in history have there been so many clothes in the world. In the four years to 2016, global production of new clothes rose 25 percent as did the export of cast-offs from Australia to the third world.

Define ethics as ‘the right thing to do’ and it becomes common sense to shop second-hand first, and re-wear what we own. These are the actions of thinking people.

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About making sustainable choices

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Slow Clothing is about making choices with what we wear, so that we live lightly and sustainably through our everyday actions. Making choices focused on for health and wellbeing rather than status and looks. Dressing in our own style for comfort and ease, not because we think we should look a certain way.

The Australian Curriculum includes sustainability as a cross-curriculum priority that aims to see students participating critically and acting creatively in determining more sustainable ways of living.

It was therefore wonderful to launch Slow Clothing in Western Australia in the fabulous school setting of Chisholm Catholic College, Bedford, with home economics teachers Niari Purdy and Nikki Singleton, Chisholm students and other teachers who had travelled from other parts of  WA.

We had fun sharing conversations about sustainable choices and actions, creative upcycling ideas and techniques that extend the life of existing clothing and textiles. My own way to do that, is to recreate denim jeans into a pinafore. There are countless other ways, including simply buying good quality and mending when required.
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Wool fits with Slow Clothing

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As a sustainable natural fibre, wool is a beautiful fit for the slow clothing movement according to leading merino breeder Georgina Wallace of Trefusis Merino Stud in Tasmania.

Campbell Town Show recently hosted the Tasmanian launch of Slow Clothing: finding meaning in what we wear in recognition of the fact that dressing is an agricultural act if you want to wear natural fibres rather than synthetic plastic ones.

Merino breeder Georgina Wallace and Jane Milburn at Campbell Town Show in May 2018

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On the Textile Beat enews

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There is awesome progress being made in the world of sustainable, creative ways of dressing for good. Our May enews – On the Textile Beat – includes updates and information about what’s been happening in our patch. It includes details about the Tasmania launch of Jane Milburn’s book Slow Clothing: finding meaning in what we wear at the Campbell Town Show on Saturday May 26.  If you are interested in slow clothing, natural fibres, creative reuse and upcycling, you may like to register (see righthand side of this website) to receive the enews directly.

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Sustainability in fashion

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Long before sustainability became fashionable, HRH Prince Charles was urging people to consider the environment when choosing what to wear and patron of the campaign promoting wool as a renewable and biodegradable resource.

In The Australian Financial Review Magazine April cover story, Marion Hume reported Prince Charles has long suspected synthetics would impact the environment and ‘minds deeply about the poisoned legacy we are leaving our children and grandchildren’. He also ‘hates throwing away things without finding another use for them or mending them’.

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What are your clothes made from?

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Clothes are made from three fibre types – synthetic fibres, reconstituted cellulose fibres and natural fibres – or blends of these.

Synthetic fibres – polyester, acrylic and nylon – are derived from petroleum and are a type of plastic. While cheap to produce synthetic fibres shed microplastic when washed, don’t breathe and research shows they are likely to harbour more bacteria and odour than natural fibres. Synthetics also gather static electricity and may cling to your body in uncomfortable and embarrassing ways.

Reconstituted cellulose fibres – such as viscose, rayon, bamboo, lyocell and tencel – while manmade are derived from plants and wood and therefore more natural then synthetics. They have design advantages, are comfortable to wear and easy care but there are concerns about chemicals used in their production.

Natural fibres – cotton, wool and linen – tend to be more expensive and water-intensive to produce, therefore we should treasure them until they wear out. Cotton is the dominant natural fibre. Seek out sustainable and organic cotton where you can. Linen is one of the greenest fibres but often out of favour because it wrinkles (wash, shake, hang to dry and wear without ironing). Hemp is less readily available, but equally as green as linen (if not more so). Animal fibres like wool, alpaca, cashmere and silk are expensive and need a little extra care but will last a long time and wear well between washes.

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Slow Clothing, book launch Victoria

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Practical and sustainable ways of dressing for health and wellbeing are central themes of a new book launched in Victoria on March 19.

Slow Clothing: finding meaning in what we wear responds to ethical issues arising from fast fashion culture which include waste, pollution and exploitation.

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