Winning The War On Fashion
- Words by Peppermint
In case you missed it, the War On Waste took out the gong for Most Outstanding Documentary at this year’s Logies. For the full low-down on what presenter Craig Reucassel wore to the awards (CLUE: it ties in nicely with the doco series) here’s Clare Press with the details.
Landfill fashion is rarely out of the press these days. (Yay, the cultural tide is finally turning). In this context, sourcing that wear-once outfit from an op shop feels super modern, don’t you think? Especially if you’re War on Waste’s Craig with a Logies date. For Sunday night’s awards, stylist Alex van Os from Op Shop To Runway, steered Reucassel smartly into a head-to-toe thrifted look sourced entirely from Red Cross shops.
“Craig was so enthusiastic. He loved the idea, and when I showed him all the options he couldn’t believe the amazing quality of clothing and brands you can find,” says Van Os. She dressed Reucassel last year for National Op Shop Week, and knew the Logies was a golden opportunity to get her message out. Van Os is thrift obsessed, and believes passionately in that old adage: second-hand is not second best.
Australians are the second largest consumers of new textiles after north Americans. We buy on average 27 kilograms per capita each year, and throw far too much of it in landfill— about 500,000 of tonnes leather and textiles yearly, according to the last available stats. Van Os says it’s time we slowed down and reconnected with the idea of clothing durability and longevity.
So what exactly did Reucassel wear? “His tie was Lanvin, his shirt and shoes were by Calibre, the jacket was Zara and the pants M.J. Bale.” She reports that she finds “generally, there is less menswear available. I suspect men pass things on less frequently, and they are perhaps more inclined to wear things until they are worn out.”
Are men more likely to buy less and better? She’s not sure, but says, “I often find fantastic preloved men’s shirts. I’m wearing one today actually—it’s vintage.” Reucassel’s outfit was aligned with his waste-crusader values, but it was also on trend. Of late, several high-profile women have used event dressing to make sustainability statements about fashion waste. Cate Blanchett wore her own four-year-old Armani Privé couture gown at the Cannes Film Festival in May, saying: “Particularly in today’s climate, it seems willful and ridiculous that such garments are not cherished and re-worn for a lifetime.”
Last year, for her press tour for The Colossal, Anne Hathaway stepped out in a dramatic black ruffled gown that cost $20 from the Rose Bowl Flea Market. “All of her choices for this tour are sustainable and will be either vintage pieces or archival runway looks,” explained stylist Penny Lovell.
The Duchess of Cambridge said nothing about her repeat Alexander McQueen performance at the wedding of recent royal wedding Harry and Meaghan. But trust Livia Firth, founder of the Green Carpet Challenge, to notice this was the fourth outing for the pale yellow coat dress. Firth took to Instagram calling: ‘Brava!’ and the post received 28,518 likes.
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Top photo: ABC.NET.AU Bottom photo: Stephen Brook twitter.com/viscountbrooky
See more of Alex’s styling in the latest issue of Peppermint, and tune in to ABC’s The War On Waste when it returns to our screens on July 24th.
CLARE PRESS IS THE PRESENTER OF THE WARDROBE CRISIS PODCAST. LISTEN HERE.
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TOGETHER WE STITCH RETURNS! 🪡✨
Ditch the dishes. Clear your cutting table. Pop the kettle on. Because Together We Stitch is back from 15 to 22 March for seven joy-filled days of sewing, learning and reveling in the joy of shared community, no matter where you are in the world!
Hosted by Megan from @SewAndTell.Co, this global online sewing event brings thousands of makers together for a week of practical know-how, confidence boosts and those “why didn’t I know this sooner?!” moments.
This year’s line-up is packed with masterclasses and practical inspiration, like:
🪡 Simple knit finishing tricks to make your garments look store-bought by @SewAndTell.Co’s Megan Linley
🪡 Troubleshooting your sewing machine by Jenni Miller from @LetsGetSewingNow
🪡 Hands-on pattern adjustments for sway back from @GinaReneeDesigns
🪡 An interview with Brandon Hayden from @HappilyDressed about building a garment around the fabric you love
🪡 Iron Care 101 by @MicheleMuska
🪡 Kate Boyle from @MindMovementHealth shares posture tips and exercises to help prevent sewing aches and pains
🪡 An easy jeans-to-skirt upcycle project from @LaCreativeMama’s Victoria Martinez Azaro
🪡 DIY custom fabrics and creative craft-room upgrades by Stephanie Young from @So_Stephanie_Says
🪡 Plus choosing prints with intention, making your dream wardrobe a reality, and meeting the creator of Project & Cut, Clinton Blackmore to talk all things PDF pattern future
Together We Stitch is all about expert-led sessions, creative demos, practical tips you can take straight to your sewing table, and a community that celebrates every win along the way. Join live or catch the replays when it suits you.
Head to togetherwestitch.com or hit the link in bio to save your seat. 🪡
#TogetherWeStitch #SewingExpo #SewingInspo #MeMade #SewingCommunity #SewistsOfInstagram
Coffee begins long before your morning cuppa! ☕️
2026 has been declared the International Year of the Woman Farmer, led by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the @UnitedNations. It’s a global spotlight with a practical purpose: to recognise women’s indispensable roles across agrifood systems, and to push for the changes that still haven’t arrived evenly, like equal access to land, finance, training, technology and decision-making.
Into that bigger picture steps Elizabeth Duna, a coffee farmer from Papua New Guinea and the chairwoman of the Keto-Tapasi Progress Association. Elizabeth is also the only female chairperson across the @FairtradeANZ cooperative network in the Pacific, overseeing farmers across the association and helping ensure Fairtrade standards are met.
We had the privilege of chatting to Elizabeth (just in time for International Woman’s Day this Sunday, too!) about what’s been growing and changing within her cooperative, what ‘fair trade’ means to her, and the hopes that manifest in a ‘simple’ bag of coffee beans.
Link in bio ☕️
#FairTrade #FairTradeCoffee #InternationalWomensDay
DIFFICULT ✊🏻✊🏽✊🏿
The collab we needed for International Women`s Day… and every day!
From @DangerousFemales:
"Hands up if you’ve ever been called difficult behind your back, to your face, or by an Australian Prime Minister during a Q&A?
DIFFICULT by Grace Tame, in her own handwriting is… one word: ICONIC!
100% of profits from our tees are donated, 100% of the time. Funds from this @TamePunk tee will go to @BerylWomen_inc, a First Nations led women’s refuge in the ACT.
Kinda ironic, don’t ya think?
Supporting an org in the parliament state with words from a politician for Australia’s longest running and underfunded women’s refuge.
Thank you @TamePunk for being difficult." 🫶🙌
Link in bio to get behind this tee!
#InternationalWomensDay #DangerousFemales #GraceTame #Difficult
NEW PATTERN ALERT 🎉
She’s giving comfort, she’s giving style, she’s giving palate-cleansing sewing. There’s nothing quite like an easy breezy dress that’s not only a dream to wear but a delight to sew, and the NEW Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress delivers!
Cute, classic and cool with a touch of retro: the Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with sleek lines and elegant curves. Bust darts are in play for shaping and spacious pockets to hold all your treasures. Top-stitching detail around the neck and armholes invites creative contrast threads and the keyhole loop closure at the back neck begs for a feature button (or a tie closure!).
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection. Karmme also stocks darling tassels so we popped a hot pink one on as a closure!
The love child of Imby Langenbach, Karmme Apparel (fittingly pronounced ‘calm’), is a haven of boho apparel sewing patterns alongside complementary fabrics steeped in tradition with modern iterations from Jaipur, India. Hand block-printed and digitally printed soft cottons produced by Indian artisans showcase rich colours and designs from Imby’s travels, perfect for showing off me-made masterpieces.
Our dresses were superbly stitched by our sewing manager @Laura_The_Maker, and modelled magnificently by Shannon @Pins_And_Tonic and Serah @SerahSews. And that perfect pink wall was courtesy of the good folk at @ShareTheDignityAustralia, an organisation that aims to bring dignity to women, girls and those who menstruate who are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence and period poverty.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Patternmaker: @GarmentaApparel
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
Connection 🫶🏻
Such great ideas from @GrowWithColby:
“A common theme I noticed in 2025:
Everyone is craving more connection.
Use these friend nights to make it happen in 2026.
Send this to the people you want to do these with.”
#Connection #Friends #Community
No bull - these pants are the cat`s (or cow`s) pyjamas...
Jenny from @RhubarbSundays:
And they are done! My @PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintFernPleatedPants made using a gorgeous fabric from @IndyBindyFabrics! I absolutely love this fabric! It’s soft and drapes beautifully. And the best thing about it is that, from a distance, it looks like an abstract print and then you look closer and theres a curious bull looking right at you. 🤣🤣 🐄 🐮
Really happy with the end product. They are very comfy! I didn’t make many changes to the pattern. Just a touch more room in the rise and a little bit off the waist. I’ll post some closeups of the details tomorrow when I actually take them off. 🤣 "
Grab the pattern from the link in bio!
#PeppermintPatterns #IMakeMyOwnClothes #ClothesThatFeelLikePyjamas #SewersGonnaSew
