From Farm to Fashion at Fashion Feasting Event

In a world of ever-changing trends and increasing demand for the newest, best brands, ‘fast fashion’ has become an affordable way for consumers to be on-trend and for brands to lower production costs and ethical standards to support their bottom line. 

The result is a cycle of buying, wearing and discarding clothes that has an increasingly negative impact on the planet. In fact, according to the Ellen McArthur Foundation, the demand for clothing has doubled over the past 15 years, with around $400 billion worth of clothes being discarded each year. 

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology lecturers Jackie Brown and Debra Laraman are passionate about addressing this issue, and have been actively working to connect conscious Kiwi consumers with sustainable fashion retailers. 

In line with this, they will be sharing results from their recent research on the shopping habits of New Zealand women, including tips on creating a stylish and more sustainable wardrobe, at their upcoming Fashion Feasting event. The event will take place at the Toi Ohomai Windermere Campus on Thursday, 5 September, and will see them partner with Toi Ohomai culinary arts tutors to extend the awareness to food waste. 

"Buying an upcycled or preloved product means you are helping the environment. You can enjoy guilt free consumption knowing you are not contributing to the waste stream and you are saving natural resources. Did you know that growing enough cotton to make one T-shirt takes more than 2000 litres of water? That's enough for one person to drink for 900 days," says Debra.

The event is free, with limited space available, and Debra says they hope that it will shed some light around how consumers can upcycle and recycle clothes and food to save money and the earth.