By Callum Ludwig
According to a 2022 report from the Australian Fashion Council, Australia is the second-highest consumer of textiles in the world per person, indicating a need for us to get more use out of our clothes.
Warbotanicals in Warburton is set to host a ‘Visible Mending Workshop to help locals repair, reuse or perhaps rehome their clothes in a bid to share techniques with the community
Owner Donna Fowler said the workshop is about encouraging people not to throw away things that just need a little bit of mending.
“It’s a two-hour workshop where people can bring along something that needs mending, and a textile artist will go through different ways to do that mending and make it look really amazing,” she said.
“It might be using different embroidery stitches or lovely pieces of fabric to mend something.”
Tamara Russell is the artist who will lead the workshop, teaching slow sewing and hand stitching techniques, sashiko and boro techniques, visible and invisible methods and how to use embroidery, appliqué and patching.
Ms Fowler said she personally is making an effort to not buy new clothes.
“I’m trying to look at the clothes that I’ve got and change them into something a little bit more fashionable or I’m sharing clothes, if I’ve got something that I know that a girlfriend would really love I will pass it on to her and let her love it or hosting a clothes swap as a group,” she said.
“Reach out to community groups that are already doing things, I’m doing an amazing Upcycling workshop at Cire in Yarra Junction, where we’ve spent the last five weeks learning how to screen print and do stamping on clothes. Go check out an op shop or garage sales, or Youtube videos and Pinterest and get creative.”
According to the same report from the Australian Fashion Council, 6000kg of clothing and textiles are dumped in landfill every 10 minutes in Australia, and a 6.6% reduction in this waste would be able to create a mass of clothes as big as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Visible Mending Workshop will be held at the Warburton Community Space on April 2 from 10am to 12.30pm. To book call Donna at 5966 9922 or email donna@warbotanicals.com.
