In today’s fast-paced fashion world, where trends emerge and vanish at lightning speed, the industry’s detrimental environmental and human rights impacts are reaching unprecedented levels. The Fitting Room is at the forefront of driving positive change by promoting repair, tailoring, and the importance of conscious consumption.
In this blog, we’ll explore the urgent need for a sustainable fashion revolution, the significance of initiatives like Seamless and fashion buy and swap events, and how The Fitting Room empowers individuals to make a difference.
The Urgency for Change:
Fast fashion, characterised by its cheaply made garments and rapid production cycles, exacts a heavy toll on our planet. Statistics show that the fashion industry is responsible for a staggering 10% of global carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide.
Simultaneously, the fast fashion industry perpetuates human rights abuses, particularly in low-wage countries, where garment workers endure gruelling hours, low pay, and hazardous conditions. This exploitation disproportionately affects women, who comprise the majority of the estimated 75 million people working in the textile and fashion industry, facing unfair treatment and labour violations.
Seamless:
Paving the Way for a Circular Future: Recognising the urgent need for change, the Australian Fashion Council has taken the lead dedicated to transforming the Australian fashion and clothing sector into a circular industry. Seamless aims to reduce the 200,000 tonnes of clothing that currently end up in Australian landfills each year, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
Seamless addresses critical aspects of the fashion value chain, from clothing design to
Use → reuse → collection → recycling.
Additionally, the scheme aims to inspire citizen behaviour change through education campaigns and accessible infrastructure that promotes clothes care and extended garment lifespans.
Sounds familiar to the services and information we provide? Have you read The Suit Book?
Hanworth House: Labels on the Lawn
This annual fundraiser is a designer fashion extravaganza, with thousands of items of donated designer garments sold at hugely discounted prices at the historic Hanworth House to raise funds for the frontline domestic violence support at Women’s Legal Service Queensland, helping women and children all over the state. WLSQ is a critical lifeline for those in need, providing free legal advice and support for women and children experiencing domestic violence, child abuse, financial abuse, and other intricate traumas.
LOTL is just one initiative championing the way to achieving sustainability in Australia – by running a fantastic event where all clothes and accessories come from donations that would otherwise end up living in a cupboard or going to landfill. And most importantly, the money raised is for a very important cause that affects thousands of women and children in Australia.
The Fitting Room has been collaborating with WLSQ for many years and is proudly a drop-off point for donations for Labels on the Lawn in the Brisbane CBD for 2023. If you would like to know more, head to our socials or click the links below!
The Fitting Room:
Redefining Fashion Consumption: Serving as a sanctuary for those seeking to alter, repair, and adopt more mindful clothing practices, The Fitting Room aligns perfectly with the ideals of Seamless, and of Hanworth House’s important mission.
By emphasising the value of repairing and tailoring garments instead of discarding them, by donating and buying second-hand good quality garments, The Fitting Room enables individuals to extend the lifespan of their clothes and reduce the demand for new items, all for a good cause.
As Madeline says, “We want to shift the mindset from disposable fashion to a more mindful and conscious way of dressing. By investing in repairs and alterations, by buying better and second-hand, we can transform our wardrobes and reduce our environmental footprint. It’s about valuing the resources that go into making our clothes and honouring the hands that made them.”
Empowering Tailors, Changing the Narrative:
Beyond our commitment to sustainable fashion practices, we also provide a supportive environment for our talented team of tailors. Many of these skilled individuals have firsthand experience in garment manufacturing within exploitative fast-fashion factories. Recognising the importance of empowering these tailors and offering fair working conditions, we foster an inclusive space that values and respects their talents.
Australia is making awesome strides towards sustainable fashion, and we’re looking forward to being a part of that transformation.
If you would like to know more about the businesses we work with:
We are accepting donations right now! Please come by our store Monday to Saturday and drop your garments in. What we’re looking for:
- Items worth $100+ RRP
- All sizes welcome
- In good condition for sale (no stained or damaged items, please)
- Donations can include clothing, shoes, bags, hats, accessories, scarves
- Women’s items only, please
