Slow Fashion September: Thousands of tonnes of textiles dumped in the landfill every week

Textile waste is one of New Zealand’s fastest growing waste streams with more than 220,000 tonnes ending up in landfills each year.

In the Waipā region alone, 4.3 tonnes of reusable textiles get sent to the landfill in just one week.

Waipā District Council waste minimisation assistant Shelley Wilson said it was a huge amount of clothes, rags, towels and linen going to waste and they were determined to get that number down.

There were a number of ways to reduce waste, in addition to just not buying clothes from companies that did not produce clothes ethically.

“Thinking about where you are buying your clothes from is really important. Some people might be focusing on shopping second-hand, or others may want to buy New Zealand-made or ethically produced garments. During our upcoming events, we will talk through options.

“At the same time, we are seeing more people open to the idea of op-shopping. We have also got this huge problem with ‘fast fashion’. Which is a major problem that we have to work with,” Wilson said.

The Waste Minimisation Team was hosting three events in the Waipā region over Slow Fashion September, one of those online to allow people to join remotely.

“With all our events, we want them to be fun but also educational so we can help upskill everybody,” Wilson said.

The first event Sustainable Style would be held on September 14 at 6pm at The Heritage Trading Company Ltd in Cambridge. Tickets cost $10.

Nicola Turner from Mainstream Green would be the host for the evening. A discussion about the region’s textile waste problem would be had, and strategies outlined for attendees to utilise and reduce textile waste.

A representative outfit from each op shop in Cambridge would be displayed on models and the host would talk through what made it sustainable and where people could find similar items.

“This is also a great way for us to promote local op shops.”

At this event, there will be refreshments and snacks available. There is a minimum of 25 spaces for this event.

The second event – Slow Fashion Online Wardrobe Tour – was a free online wardrobe tour, hosted by Nicola Turner from Mainstream Green. During the tour, she would dive into her personal sustainable approach. There would be lots of interaction and information-sharing. She would discuss how people can find their own personal style and how to do that sustainably.

The final event is a free Repair and Re-fashion Sewing Workshop for beginners and would take place at the Te Awamutu Library on September 30. This event is hosted by Sarah Sew Love. She is a well-known sewist who works exclusively with second-hand fabric.

Sarah Sew Love’s philosophy is that she doesn’t want to buy new fabrics as there is enough already produced. While people can purchase fabric that has been made sustainably and ethically, there is still a huge amount of fabrics that are already made.

Sew Love purchases fabrics from op shops or other creatives that have off-cuts. She then repurposed those materials to turn them into something amazing.

In the morning, there will be an hour-long workshop designed for people who are beginners in sewing.

“People do not need to have any experience. We will go through the basics of sewing, covering how to thread a machine and run through skills like hemming pants or sewing on a button. If someone has something that needs mending we are more than happy to help with that,” Wilson said.

“One of the key things to Sustainable Fashion is caring for clothes correctly. Via checking the care labels or if something gets a rip or permanent stain thinking creatively about mending options, rather than throwing the item away.”

There was also an afternoon event for sewing, designed for those with sewing experience. Participants are expected to have already mastered beginner sewing skills. The event runs from 1pm to 4pm on the same day.

Once booked, guests were invited to attend a free group Zoom session with Sew Love the week before the event. Guests would have the opportunity to ask her any questions, talk through ideas, and make sure they have all the supplies needed.

Guests would also receive a special discount code for a future one-on-one or group online sewing session so that they could continue to nurture their repairing and re-fashioning skills.

“We are encouraging people to bring their own sewing machines, as we can only bring eight with us,” Wilson said.

If people are happy to sew by hand they were more than welcome to do so.

link to register for Slow Fashion September events: www.eventfinda.co.nz/user/Waipa-Waste-Minimisation.

How can you help slow fashion

One way to curb fast fashion is to buy things you actually love.

Some experts say people only wear 20 per cent of their wardrobe. People have their favourites, but people don’t wear 80 per cent of the clothes they have spent hard-earned money on.

When you’re next eyeing up a new piece, think, “Do I absolutely love this? What could I pair it with from my current wardrobe? Could I borrow something like this from a friend instead or rent it?”

Or if you’re op-shopping, a helpful question is, “Am I only buying this because it’s ‘cheap’? Would I buy this if it were full price?”

If you only bring new items into your wardrobe that you absolutely love, you’ll make sure to wear them over and over again.

Another way is to buy sustainably. For some people, this means shopping second-hand and supporting the huge range of op shops. For others, it means only buying from accredited ethical brands that pay their workers a living wage and provide safe workplaces.

Other people purchase high-quality pieces that are durable enough to last years of wear and consider how they will care for and repair the item in the future.

Mending clothing is another way to slow fashion. If items get ripped or stained permanently, there are several different ways to deal with this. Tackle it at home if you’ve got basic sewing skills or take it to a local expert for them to weave their magic

One popular approach these days is visible mending – this is the art of making the fix a feature rather than trying to hide it.