Looking back on practices of repairing and repurposing garments from days gone by can help modern fashion look to a more sustainable future - and this weekend attendees at the Rare Trades Centre can learn how.
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Also known as the Australian Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, it will host three 'Wear Out Fashion' events over the weekend as part of Melbourne Fashion Festival's Fashion Culture Program.
On display will be garments from the Centre's collection including an 1860s upper class day wear outfit and a service dress.
General manager Erin Santamaria said the clothing of the era was engineered to be mended and altered "with ease" for longevity.
"Things were different at this period of time. Clothes were really valued because most of them had to be handmade. There's a lot of time and investment put into them," she said.
According to the Australian Fashion Council, more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing and textiles end up in landfill in Australia every year.
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Part of the solution, Ms Santamaria said, was looking to the past.
"The material was high quality, and people didn't have the luxury of being able to just pop down the shops and get a new T-shirt. The trends changed a lot more slowly," she said.
"People would wear [garments] until it wore out and then when it wore out, they would repurpose the material for other reasons [such as] children's clothes or home furnishings and, the last thing would be, rags for cleaning.
"So we're looking to the past to find answers to create a better fashion future."
The events, developed by RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles, will begin on Friday March 3 with an opening party showcasing modern prototype clothing blended with pieces from the Sovereign Hill costume department.
On Saturday March 4, a workshop teaching repair techniques will be held in the morning and in the afternoon a screening of film 'Wearing Out Sovereign' - which explores wearing of colonial reproduction costumes - will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and RMIT academics.
- See raretradescentre.com.au
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