The annual Zero Waste Festival took place over the weekend at Federation Square in Melbourne, bringing speakers, activities and exhibitors together to fight the good fight against single-use plastics and Australia’s waste problem.

Upcycled fashion show fills the room

In previous years, the Zero Waste Festival has finished with a fashion-focused panel event discussing the immense impact of the fashion industry. This year, organisers opted for a different approach. Rather than have a discussion, they chose to shift the focus onto design solutions and highlight what can be created using discarded, upcycled and repurposed textiles.

Twenty-eight designers were selected from over 80 applications (some international) – far more than expected for the inaugural event. Some were seasoned designers, some emerging and some were fashion students. Just as diverse as the entrants were their designs, with a multitude of techniques, textiles and not-so-traditional materials on display.

Not just an audience but a community

If you’ve been to a fashion show before, then you’ll know they’re usually flashy affairs with serious faces and even more serious walks. The Rewear Runway had a distinctly different air about it. It felt like a movement gathering momentum with each model that came onto the stage. The audience packed out The Edge at Federation Square and spilled onto the balconies. Every creation and its maker were cheered not just for how the outfit looked, but for how and why it was made. The ingenuity was the draw, and the crowd felt like a supportive community.

It wasn’t hard to appreciate the imaginative transformations on show. One designer made a dress entirely from suit ties found in op shops. Another made a coat covered in discarded street waste, while someone else made a dress out of upcycled bicycle parts. Mesh fruit bags, lampshades, vinyl records and even a sleeping bag were just some of the unconventional materials refashioned into wearable garments.

Crochet and Japanese weaving were on show, with one designer completely unravelling an old knit to start over and create something new. Patchwork and embroidery pulled ordinarily unusable fabric scraps together, and spliced outfits were pieced together to craft something new.

The judges’ and people’s choice

One particular garment stunned the judges as well as the crowd, taking home the People’s Choice Award and winning the overall competition. Designed by fashion student Danish Rizal, the three-piece outfit (plus a matching headpiece) had all the lustre of luxury fabrics and not a hint of ‘waste’ about it. Made from upcycled upholstery fabrics and dripping in fringe, the garments’ abundance of fabric and gold details epitomises how discarded fabrics can still be full of life.

Beyond the fashion

The Zero Waste Festival involved far more than fashion, with talks throughout the day on the hidden impact of data centres, food waste and more. Everyone’s favourite green thumb Costa Georgiadis also read from his new book, Costa’s Garden: Fruit, and the afternoon saw a live zero-waste mystery box cook-off.

The exhibitor hall was full of zero waste vendors, makers, small businesses, and there were also plenty of interactive initiatives for people to get involved in, from mending circles and repair café drop-in sessions to a clothes and fabric swap.

The first Zero Waste Festival was held in 2018. Since 2022, the event has become an annual festival at Federation Square run by Zero Waste Victoria.

Images: Julian Meehan.