Look forward to a fabulous day of reloved, repaired and reused fashion with the Western Metropolitan Regional Council’s landmark Textile Trail event, on this Saturday 16 November.
For one day only, the WMRC will bring together local fashion retailers, op-shops, pre-loved boutiques, craft stores and more to make the western suburbs the ultimate destination for sustainable style.
Learn to repair your favourite pieces so they can live on in your wardrobe, find some pre-loved gems at an op shop, and explore ways to reduce the waste from your wardrobe. There’s something for everyone, from the style influencers among us to those looking to reduce their environmental impact by getting the most out of the clothes they own.
“Australians now have the highest rate of textile consumption in the world,” says WMRC CEO Stuart Devenish. “With individuals buying an average of 56 new items per person per year, it’s a crown we shouldn’t be proud of holding.
“It shows it’s time to rethink the way we value our clothes.”
There are so many ways to consume less and waste less, without compromising on the self-expression and pleasure of personal style. By exploring even just a couple of stops on the Textile Trail, you’ll learn about the wide variety of options already on offer right in our local area.
There’s also a packed program of ticketed events and workshops. One such event is a sustainable style walking tour of Subiaco with Hazel Law from the Curated Wardrobe. A stylist and preloved fashion enthusiast, Hazel works with women to keep fashion circular by decoupling personal style and consumption.
“Fashion can be both beautiful and environmentally conscious,” says Hazel.
“From buying second-hand to simply choosing quality, workable pieces you can keep wearing for years, there are lots of ways to opt out of the unsustainable fast fashion model while also loving what you wear.”
“On the sustainable style tour, I’ll guide participants on how to carefully curate a selection of pre-loved items they’ll wear again and again.”
To take part in a workshop on mending, styling or textile reuse, check out the program here, and be sure to book in advance as places are filling up fast.
You can also join the retail trail on the day for deals, discounts and pop-up events – simply check the list of participating local businesses or download the map, head to your first stop, pick up a physical map, and see where the Trail takes you.
And there are great prizes to be won, including a $100 voucher to your favourite trail stop. Just get your map stamped at six locations and email a photo of your stamps to community@wmrc.wa.gov.au to go in the draw!
The Textile Trail is the culmination of the WMRC’s year-long (Re)Love Your Stuff project (funded by the state government’s WasteSorted Grants program), which is highlighting the true value of our clothes – and why it’s worth swapping, sharing and repairing to reduce waste.