Garbage in the garb age

FAST fashion is out as far as Alison Gwilt is concerned. By fast she means the tendency of 18 to 25-year-olds to buy cheaply, on impulse and ditch garments quickly. No good, says the lecturer in the school of design at the University of Technology, Sydney, who is on a quest to make fashion more sustainable.

UTS academic Alison Gwilt with some of her sustainable fabric. Picture: Alan Pryke

FAST fashion is out as far as Alison Gwilt is concerned. By fast she means the tendency of 18 to 25-year-olds to buy cheaply, on impulse and ditch garments quickly. No good, says the lecturer in the school of design at the University of Technology, Sydney, who is on a quest to make fashion more sustainable.

She became interested in the field six years ago.

"At that time (sustainability) was still considered optional," Ms Gwilt said.

"That has to change, everybody has to get ready."

Her doctoral research in the area has only confirmed her view that it is crucial fashion takes steps, even if they are small ones, towards being environmentally friendly. Hence the need, for example, to educate that cohort of young consumers to buy better quality clothes and hang on to them: the ones they discard go via their rubbish bins to landfill pits.

That is part of the story but, as a designer, her particular interest is in materials. She and fellow UTS lecturer Alana Clifton-Cunningham have mounted an exhibition at the UTS Design Architecture and Building Lab gallery in Ultimo, demonstrating techniques with fabric, construction and decorations such as sequins made of hemp.

There is no proprietary guarding of knowledge: visitors will be able to examine the exhibits and learn about the techniques.

"This is one area where we really have to share what we have found out," Ms Gwilt said.

It requires more effort to source organic materials and there can be creative hazards in using materials such as hemp.

"It's important not to end up with 'cream' collections, but you can carefully dye products, with as little damage as possible," shesaid.

Other "small steps" include complementary fibre matching, for example, not mixing synthetic and non-synthetic fabric so clothes can be easily broken down for recycling.

Sustainable fashion is still a novelty, Gwilt conceded.

"Two years ago I interviewed the head of the couture line at Dior in Paris and she did not know what I was talking about.

"And design people think they have to tell everyone they are behaving in a sustainable fashion but people should just be able to assume that.

"I believe everyone should change their practices, but I don't expect it to be overnight."