Sustainable Couture is a flourishing network of Australian textile artists and designers,
passionate about creating distinctive eco-fashion and promoting sustainability
About Sustainable Couture
Sustainable Couture is a thriving network of Australia wide designers who have fused their skills to forge a unique approach to recycling, refashioning and reconstructing textiles.
Members have been creating one-off, edgy fashion designs, accessories and
homewares, as well as focusing community attention on
sustainability through the endless possibilities of recycling, upcycling, repurposing and reducing textile waste, since 2009.
The collective energy of the group is refreshed annually by way of new designers being invited to participate in the parade and pop-up shop or the return of past designers - the ebb and flow is managed by a core group. This group also shares the following overall responsibilities including, seeking funding, coordinating the various events’ program, social media activity, public relations, website management, producing the parade, coordinating designers and their models and hosting the various events referred to below.
2022 Parade and Marketplace
The 2022 Parade and Markeplace was held on Sunday
26 June in brilliant winter sunshine at the Central Australian
Aviation Museum.
Our 10 designers this year - from Alice Springs, Darwin and
interstate – showcased their skills in dressmaking, textile
design, pattern making, dyeing, weaving, printing and
hand stitching.
By recycling, up-cycling and repurposing mainly natural
materials from the ‘just not being worn’ piles... designers
this year created unique, one-off beautiful garments,
lovingly handcrafted and embellished with techniques
passed down through the generations.
The theme this year - "Shades of Sustainability" - inspires
us to think more about where our clothes come from,
to show respect for the resources and the labour involved
in the clothing and fashion industry, and to reflect on the
cost of cheap clothing and fast fashion to the environment
and to the lives of 1000s of underpaid workers around the
world.
And this week you can browse the designers' amazing
collections and buy unique streetwear and accessories,
from the Sustainable Couture Pop-Up Shop
Monday 27 June - Sunday 3 July 2022
Venue: The Residency, Parsons Street, Alice Springs
Opening hours 10am - 2pm daily
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From Gail Hayes' stunning 1970s and 80s collection - exemplifying Choose well, buy less.
Models Nicola and Kate
Shades of Sustainability
This year's Sustainable Couture Parade and Marketplace, as part of the Alice Springs Beanie Festival, was a vibrant, fun-filled afternoond
Our theme for this year - Shades of Sustainability - has our designers showcasing innovative interpretations of this timely theme on the catwalk.
Click here for profiles of our designers, and explore our website for step-by-step ways to reuse fabrics, and how to remake and refashion garments that have been hanging idly in your wardrobe.
Our message is to buy less, to wear preloved, and to wear it longer, to swap and share clothing, to repair and restore what we have.
And remember, no matter where you live you can connect creatively and explore some inventive ways of living more sustainably. But, be warned…once you become inspired to have a go at some creative playtime, you will find a world of new and irresistible possibilities!
Visit our Pop-up Shop at The Residency in Parsons Street, Alice Springs from 27 June to 3 July 2022 to buy your own one-off, distinctive recycled/upcycled outfit!
And visit our on-line marketplace to buy from the designers' online shops, and spread sustainable couture across the globe!
Philomena Hali and Franca Frederiksen
Sustainable Couture Founders
Co-instigator of Sustainable Couture and three-time recipient of ‘runner-up’ Wearable Art Awards, Franca is passionate about fashioning stylish garments from recycled and sometimes surprising fabrics.
Philomena is recognised nationally and internationally for her diverse work; her pieces are held in private collections, museums and galleries across Australia and overseas.
A long-time dressmaker and passionate about the environment, Carmel prefers to reuse and repurpose, and loves working with vintage pre-loved or found natural materials that 'come with a story’.
2020 Online Collection
In 2020 Sustainable Couture worked with talented videographer Devris Hasan to launch our collection online.
Galleries
2020 Online Collection
"Why send perfectly good clothing to landfill?" The Sustainable Couture Designer's deconstruct and reconstruct garments, embellishing them "One Stitch at a Time"...
All In The Same Boat
“All in the same Boat” invited everyone to “come on board and sail the oceans of possibility, ride the tide in the shift to a more sustainable and ethical clothing industry”.
Worn to be Wild
Clothing has always been a way of expressing oneself: our national or ethnic identity, our class, gender and sexuality. Clothes are and always have been Worn to be wild.
*Sophie Daniels (centre) on the runway with her models, at Eco Fashion Week Australia 2018
Mentorship Program Information
Sustainable Couture's Mentorship program offers an opportunity for the creative and personal development for
an emerging designer/textile artist in central Australia.
Stay tuned for further information on this program
EVENTS
Get in Touch
We would like to thank our sponsors
for giving us the opportunity to develop our creative skills, contribute to a rich, innovative art, craft and design community and bring attention to the national discussion around our environment and the urgent need to reduce textile waste in landfill.