Jane Milburn of Textile Beat has been awarded a 2019 Churchill Fellowship to investigate ways that hands-on upcycling actions can reduce textile waste and enhance wellbeing.
The fellowship will enable Jane to undertake research across three continents to further her work inspiring social change and contributing to sustainable living across communities through slow clothing practice.
“I feel deeply honoured to be awarded a Churchill Fellowship and I believe this recognition will elevate the slow clothing work I’ve undertaken since observing fashion excess in 2011,” Ms Milburn said.
Jane Milburn: Churchill Fellow 2019, Slow Clothing author, Textile Beat founder, agricultural scientist and Fashion Revolution Australia committee member.
One hundred and fifteen visionary Australians will travel around the world in 2020 as recipients of the prestigious Churchill Fellowship award, offering them a life-changing opportunity to meet and work with leaders of influence to gain and exchange knowledge as well as experience for the betterment of themselves, their industry, community and Australia.
“Churchill Fellowships recognise people with passion and drive, providing an unrivalled opportunity and freedom for people to experience world’s best practice on issues that matter to Australian communities,” said CEO of the Churchill Trust, Mr Adam Davey.
This year Churchill Fellowships have been awarded people from cities and towns across Australia including 24 from NSW, 22 from VIC, 20 from QLD, 14 from WA, 8 from the ACT, 10 from SA, 10 from TAS and 7 from the NT.
Ms Milburn said her fellowship pertains to the many ethical issues that have arisen in recent decades as we’ve outsourced most of our clothing needs to global supply chains: The combination of modern-day slavery and cheap synthetic fibres means we are buying up to four times what we need, leading to clothing in landfill, microplastic pollution and a loss of appreciation and knowledge about how to make, mend, care for and upcycle our clothes.
“By re-engaging with clothes through acts of mending, making and upcycling, we appreciate and value natural fibres as resources. This leads us to be more connected and have a sense of agency. We become mindful through this hands-on process and more interested in local, quality garments made to last.”
Churchill Fellow (2019) Jane Milburn, author of Slow Clothing and The Process of Mending
A lifetime of slow clothing practice underpins Jane Milburn’s purpose-driven advocacy which emerged after postgraduate study with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation in 2013, and builds on her earlier career in rural journalism and communications.
Ms Milburn will travel to Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany to learn from other’s engaged in practices aligned with her work.
“There has been a global awakening about environmental and social issues in the way we buy, wear and care for clothes,” she said.
“My fellowship links into current social-environmental trends of climate action, war on waste, fashion revolution, buy nothing new, make something, craftivism, less plastic and more.
“My slow clothing advocacy is based on the many actions we can take to slow down the impacts of fast fashion, including those from the Slow Clothing Manifesto: think, natural, quality, local, few, care, make, revive, adapt and salvage.”
More information about the Churchill Trust here https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/