Images provided by Guild Volunteering
by Perry Caswell
Bustling, informative, and inviting are the top three words I would use to describe UWA’s Sustainable Fashion Week. As many readers would know, the UWA Guild hosts themed weeks throughout the semesters, with this theme falling upon weeks eight and nine of the university calendar.
From Micro Volunteering’s scrunchy-making workshop to a fashion repair lab at Unihall, there were various fun events and activities for everyone. Although, the main event of the week would be the fashion market and panel discussion on the Wednesday of week nine.
Wednesday’s events occurred under the dappled shading just across from the grove on James oval. The various clothing stalls were humming with activity, with students on the way to the ref or the pilgrimage to business school taking a break and meandering through the various racks of clothing. Strategically and conveniently placed for maximum thoroughfare, these stalls were a lovely surprise to those passing by.
The“Slow Fashion in a Fast World” panel
Hosted by Venture, the “Slow Fashion in a Fast World” panel was present that day at the slow fashion market. Multiple influential people from various parts of the industry were there, answering questions from curious audience members. This included panellists from Rupahaus, Loop Upcycling, Fair Space, and Good Sammy. The panellists provided context on their organisations and discussed a wide variety of topics relating to the fast fashion industry. A particular talking point that perked my interest was the issue of waste disposal in relation to Good Sammy’s activity. The representative expressed his thanks to people who donated their belongings but emphasised that a proportion of those items were unable to be sold. It costs $1.7 million annually to dispose of these items, which was quite surprising for the crowd. Greater education about the lifestyle of garments is needed to reduce waste.
Overall, this successful week was informative and enjoyable to participate in its various aspects, and I hope to see it become an annual tradition in the coming years.