Fashion Less Waste 2012
- Words by Peppermint
Remote controls and shopping trolleys may not seem the most obvious materials of choice when designing a dress, but for this year’s Fashion Less Waste competition, out-of-the-box ideas were exactly the right train of thought for contestants.Β For the third year running, the Australian Museum invited fashion innovators to create wearable art out of materials destined for waste. This years theme, Deep Oceans, inspired designers to recreate some of the mysterious animals lurking in the depths of our oceans, in an effort to highlight the beauty of nature and the impact of trash and pollution on sea habitats. Fluorescent fish and elegant squids were amongst the weird and wonderful creations that designers conjured up in ingenious ways; cds became luminous scales, bath matts became tentacles and fan covers became hatsβ¦ Of course!
Fashion Less Waste’s 20 finalists had the opportunity to showcase their creations at the Museum for an evening parade where judges Akira Isogawa, Louise Olsen (Dinosaur Designs founder), Peppermint‘s very own editor Kelley Sheenen and yours truly had the very tough job of deciding the winning entries. With such a high calibre of garments on display, the competition came down to each contestant’s originality, design, materials and style. From the open category Joseph Mashett took first place after successfully turning recycled TV remotes into a sweeping asymmetrical dress. The secondary section was taken out by Tess Tavener Hanks who wowed us with her bright jellyfish ensemble.Β Annelyse Lumley and Stephanie Powell were runners up in the open, and Bonita Poppy Alexander and Rebecca Lee for the secondary school category.
All six designers will have their outfits displayed at the Australian Museum between September and October, as well as at the Strand in August and the North Sydney Council Coal Loader exhibition centre during October and November. There are plenty of opportunities to see these creations in the flesh – and Β I guarantee you will second guess those mundane objects lying around your house after this!
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Itβs all a lot, isnβt it?
We werenβt designed to carry this much emotional grief and world-wide trauma on an ongoing basis. Just know youβre not alone. Itβs ok to not be ok. π«Άπ»
Image from @PeopleIveLoved: βI am not sure my tiny brain was meant to understand this enormous grief.β
βWe love that we can bring a hint of imagination and whimsy into everyday life by making ordinary objects fun. Weβve learned to appreciate the little wins and to take a moment for each step we achieve.ββ
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Disillusioned by the realities of fast fashion, design grads Emily May and Sidonie Moore ditched clothing for a business that finds fun in the everyday. Enter @TheNonsenseMaker: a collection of unique homewares, fun wall art, greeting cards and more that breathe life into Emilyβs illustrations: βI love the idea of taking real-world objects and changing your perspective in a way that brings magic and whimsy into everyday life!ββ
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In issue 64βs feature βIt all makes senseβ, we chat to the Naarm/Melbourne-based duo about their sustainability philosophy, TV re-runs and their commitment to local makers. At stockists now!β
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Photos: @MeAndMyGirlβ
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#PeppermintMagazine #TheNonsenseMaker #LocalMakers #SustainableCraft
Any New Yearβs resolutions on your list? We love this from @OtterBeeStitching - βbe brave enough to suck at something newβ.
Thereβs no points for perfection, but youβll get a trophy for trying. If nothing else this year, take the leap and try something new.
#OtterBeeStitching #Embroidery #BeBrave #TrySomethingNew #EmbroideryArt
Sunday serving suggestion βοΈ
Gorgeous photos from @JolieFemmeStore - who make sweet garments from vintage bedsheets.
#PeppermintMagazine #SlowSunday #SwitchOff #Unplug #ReadAMagazine
A toast to the old you π₯
We wholeheartedly love this post from the brilliant @EmilyOnLife:
β2026: Reinvent, burn it down, let it go (whatever it is). Year of the Snake it up. Exercise your boundaries, exercise your body, take one teeny step every day towards a life that feels better to be in.
But donβt you dare shit on your old self while you do it.
Hold yourself with reverence and tenderness and respect, because you got you this far. You did your very best with the information and tools you had at the time. You scraped yourself together, you made it work, you survived what felt impossible to survive: again and again and again.
You are perpetually in the process of becoming, whether you can feel it or not, whether or not you add it to your 2026 to-do list.β
Some very wise words from @Damon.Gameau to take us into 2026 ππΌ
