The Great Fashion Stitch-Up Is Back
Published on 12 August 2025
Photo: Zenzi Grace explains the rules of Great Fashion Stitch up – May 2024
Following the overwhelming success of last year’s event, the Great Fashion Stitch-Up is back!
The Great Fashion Stitch-Up is a vibrant, community powered celebration centered around tackling textile waste, sustainable fashion and creative expression. The event, occurring on Saturday 30 August, will start in Maam Gaduying Park with educational talks, wear-it workshops, a community clothing swap, displays from eco-fashion makers and sewing stations for community members to make their own creations from textile waste.
Community creators will be selected to appear in the evening event at Bellingen Memorial Hall which includes a bold community fashion show featuring upcycled couture, natural fibres and a creative reimagining of textiles once destined for landfill. The evening event will also feature collections from sustainable designers and live music by Alice Ivy and the glittering Dancing Queen ABBA Tribute Show.
Bellingen Shire Council’s Group Leader Sustainable Environment and Waste, Sam Tate, emphasised the importance of these kinds of events in promoting creative approaches to reducing landfill waste and creating a circular economy.
“Textile waste is a major issue in the Bellingen LGA, accounting for approximately seven percent of the waste in Council’s red bin system,” said Mr Tate.
“This waste ends up in landfill contributing to our greenhouse gas emissions. Council has programs to reduce textile waste, including the Bowerhouse Community Reuse Shop, which accepts donations of secondhand clothes for on-selling. However, at times the shop receives up to 300kg of clothing donations per week, and many of these donations end up in landfill as Council is unable to sell such a large quantity of second-hand clothing.”
“Council has been investigating textile recycling solutions for some time now but there are limited options in Australia. This makes local initiatives, such as the Great Fashion Stitch-Up, so important.”
Mayor Cr. Steve Allan is looking forward to the event and can’t wait to see what our creative community will come up with.
“Last year’s event was an amazing example of community members coming together to find local solutions to this national problem,” said Mayor Allan.
“Community members were encouraged to refuse, reduce, reuse, repair and upcycle which will lead to better outcomes for the whole community.
“Local resident, Zenzi Rutter-Grace, who has spearheaded the initiative, is to be commended. Her efforts at the local level are remarkable and Council hopes that the community will get behind this great event.”
Community members who attend the event will also be encouraged to sign up to a wardrobe freeze, a personal sustainability commitment where participants commit to not purchasing any new clothing for a month, six months, a year or more. This is a great way to put the learnings from the event into practice and Council encourages community members to take part.
Bellingen Shire Council is proudly supporting this event through funding under its Community Event Sponsorship Fund and Environment Levy Community Fund.
Learn more and book your ticket on the Bellingen Memorial Hall website: The Great Fashion Stitch Up | Bellingen Memorial Hall