More fashion news: VIFW empowers Indigenous designers

Above Photo: Funk N Soul 97

This world-record EFWA opening runway show celebrated creativity and sustainability, showcasing the innovative work of over 50 talented fashion designers from Busselton and around the globe. The fashions ranged from upcycled textiles and garments to handmade accessories made from local materials.

The event, which attracts fashion designers from around the globe, focuses on creativity, innovation, sustainability, and education. Designers from Australia, Canada, Columbia, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the USA were represented on the runway.

The spirit of the community came alive as diverse groups collaborated to create stunning fashion designs for EFWA’s world-record runway show. With participation from the St. John of God Foundation, Ellenbrook Youth Centre, Edith Cowan University, Regis, Country Women’s Association, and Cape Care, this event showcased creativity and the power of collective inspiration.

The venue was simply breathtaking. The Busselton Jetty is the longest wooden pier in the Southern Hemisphere, surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean and white sand beaches. Busselton is a small town about 220 km southwest of Perth and is a growing tourist destination in Western Australia.

All eyes were focused on a group of inspiring fashion models from the Busselton and Perth region, adorned in stunning sustainable clothing, who gracefully began their runway walk from the shoreline.

Their journey along the entire length of the jetty to an underwater observatory at the end of the pier included a magnificent return trip under the sunset light. It was a beautiful spectacle that lasted about one hour that captivated the audience. It showcased not only stylish fashion but also a commitment to sustainability.

You can watch for more news from EFWA in the weeks ahead.

The post EFWA aims for a world record with the longest sustainable fashion runway show appeared first on styledrama.

Dr. Kuvan-Mills undertook carpal tunnel surgery at St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital when an idea to repurpose caregiver scrubs into a fashion line was born. 

“I was speaking to the nurse on duty pre-surgery, and we discussed the amount of potential textile waste across many industries where staff wear uniforms. A discussion with this environmentally conscious nurse on her uniform’s potential destiny just before I entered the operating theatre was the source of my idea,” said Dr. Kuvan-Mills. 

Gift of Hope

With the idea firmly planted, Dr Kuvan-Mills then discovered St John of God Foundation’s ‘Gift of Hope’ project, which supports cancer patients experiencing financial hardship related to their treatment. 

In discussion with EFWA local designers, Green Embassy, Fabric of Nature and Deadly Denim, Dr. Kuvan-Mills inspired the group to create a clothing collection from hospital uniforms to present during what has now become a month-long sustainable fashion festival in Busselton and Perth this November. 

The ‘Aqua’ collection is inspired by water shortages and changing weather patterns. It will be showcased during the month-long festival and will be available for sale on the show night of November 16 at Midland Junction Arts Centre. All proceeds from the EFWA sale that evening will be donated to St John of God Foundation’s Gift of Hope project.

EFWA at Busselton Jetty

Part of the collection will also feature on the festival’s opening night on Friday, November 1st. The festival will also seek to set a world record with a 3.6 km fashion catwalk over the Indian Ocean on Busselton Jetty, with local, national, and international designers and many creative community groups participating. 

Related Story: Discover the luxurious Aplaca fashion collection by Ahblo

The post Day surgery inspires EFWA fundraising for Gift of Hope appeared first on styledrama.

The Busselton Jetty, the world’s second longest and southern hemisphere’s longest timber-piled jetty, will be transformed into the world’s longest catwalk in November for Australia’s Sustainable Fashion Festival 24. 

Located in the heart of Western Australia’s South West, this month-long festival will host spectacular global fashion shows. Its goal is to promote eco-friendly, ethical, and sustainable fashion.

Related story: The IT bag for spring

Presented by Eco Fashion Week Australia (EFWA), this ground-breaking event will transform the Australian fashion landscape and redefine the industry. 

The event will draw fashion lovers, designers, and sustainability advocates worldwide to the festival in Busselton and Perth. Set against the stunning backdrop of WA’s South West region. 

The festival includes runway shows, artist’s talks and workshops, fashion art exhibits, an upcycling challenge, sustainable fashion, and art exhibits.

Festival Director Zuhal Kuvan Mills says the event will provide a global stage for designers to present fashion in the new age of the Anthropocene, a term used to describe an epoch shaped by human activity’s impact on climate change.

“It’s been estimated that 92 million tonnes of textile waste go into landfills around the world every year,” says Zuhal. Cheap, fast fashion means people wear many of their clothes just a few times before throwing them out.

That comes at a huge environmental cost, and we urgently need to find ways to make fashion more sustainable.

The Sustainable Fashion Festival 24 will present ‘Closet of the Anthropocene’ to showcase the collections of more than 80 international and Australian designers who source sustainable materials and textiles to create unique pieces.

Mills is organizing her fourth Sustainable Fashion Festival in Australia, and Busselton Jetty is the perfect kickoff venue.

They look forward to inviting the world to join them on a sustainable fashion journey. Everyone can get involved, no matter their age, background, or fashion sense. You can learn more at EFWA.

The post Sustainable Fashion Festival hosts the longest catwalk appeared first on styledrama.

Busselton Jetty is the inaugural fashion venue of a three-month series of EFWA runway shows, exhibitions, talks and workshops in Perth, Busselton, Fremantle, and Geraldton beginning in November 2024.

Busselton Jetty

The heritage-listed jetty is one of Western Australia’s most popular tourist destinations and at 1.8 kms, holds the record as the longest jetty in the Southern Hemisphere and the second largest jetty in the world. 

To walk the length of the timber-piled extension in Geographe Bay will take you about 25 minutes. It even has its own train system for those who prefer to sit back and enjoy the 3.6 kms round trip journey.

Busselton Jetty attractions include an Interpretive Centre and Underwater Observatory, plus it is recognized as one of Australia’s top shore dives, home to over 300 marine species. Below the Jetty piles create an artificial reef, host to a multitude of vividly-coloured tropical and sub-tropical corals, sponges, fish and invertebrates.

EFWA 2024

EFWA24 will present ’Closet of the Anthropocene” to showcase the collections of more than 60 international and Australian designers who source sustainable materials and textiles to create one of a kind fashions.

Eco Fashion Week Australia 2024 will provide a global stage for designers to present fashion in a new age of the Anthropocene, a term used to describe an epoch shaped the impact of human activity on climate change.

EFWA founder, curator and visual artist Zuhâl Kuvan-Mills said EFWA was delighted to be partnering with the iconic Busselton Jetty, an award-winning Advance Eco Tourism operator in Western Australia.

Related Story: EFWA 2022 hosts largest international sustainable fashion week

Human impact on climate change

“We are now working together to bring global attention to our concerns surrounding the human impact on climate change, with the stunning backdrop of the jetty becoming a canvas for our fashion artists,” Dr. Kuvan-Mills said.

Updated: This story has been update with EFWA rescheduled in November 2024.

The post EFWA 2024 will host the longest catwalk in the world at Busselton Jetty appeared first on styledrama.