Good Sammy is excited to collaborate with North Metropolitan TAFE and Second Life Markets for an innovative new project. Fashion and Textile students will be given the opportunity to upcycle garments sourced from Good Sammy, and then showcase and sell their unique creations at the Second Life Markets in June.
In early March, the second-year TAFE students toured the Good Sammy recycling facility in Canning Vale. The tour gave them a firsthand experience of our daily business operations and the critical role Good Sammy plays in supporting the circular economy and Western Australians with disability. The vast scale of our operations and volume of waste handled on a daily basis left many students shifting their perspective about buying new and considering the condition of their own donated items. As one student put it, it was “an eye-opening experience.”
Rachel Nicholaidis, the students’ TAFE lecturer, explains that their shock was a good motivator. “Fashion students need to learn about how they can have a positive impact on the environment, while still being creative”, she says. “We don’t want to create more waste where possible, which is why upcycling fashion is so important.”
As part of the upcycling task, the TAFE students will each receive a pair of jeans, a button-down shirt and two ties to transform into fashionable clothing items that can be worn again and again. These items were sourced from the Good Sammy Factory Outlet and selected for their versatility. The jeans and shirts contain zips, buttons, and pockets that can be creatively repurposed. The ties offer a range of exciting patterns and pops of colour that can be used for fastenings, belts or shoulder straps. The students will be required to use as much of the second-hand items as possible, right down to the left over fabric scraps, to ensure nothing is wasted.
The Fashion and Textile students were brimming with ideas on what to create for the upcycling project. One student was pleasantly surprised to find quality jeans in the Factory Outlet to test out her upcycled backpack idea. She shares, “I was looking for something better quality – nothing from a fast fashion brand. I’ve actually found some really great stuff. I can’t wait to bring my ideas to life.” The other classmates also enjoyed rummaging through the clothing cages - not just for upcycling items, but also for personal thrifty treasures for themselves like vinyl records, DVDs and vintage homewares.
The upcycled garments will be showcased at The Second Life Markets in June, a quarterly event established avid thrifters, Meg Charnaud and Stella Brackenridge. The Second Life Markets gives preloved fashion sellers and upcyclers a platform to sell their goods, and by doing this, aims to encourage shoppers to support the slow fashion movement. Meg is a graduate of the Fashion and Textile program and it was she who first approached her former lecturers and Good Sammy CEO, Kane Blackman, about collaborating with Second Life Markets for the upcycling project. She describes the partnership as “a match made in heaven.”
While studying, Meg found that upcycling was hardly featured in the curriculum. She often felt guilty buying new materials when there were already plenty of existing resources available. “It’s important for fashion students to see the value and need for utilising materials that already exist,” Meg explains. “It’s sustainable and it encourages extra creativity, problem solving and innovation in design, which can lead to incredible ideas.”
Meg is eager to see the students’ innovative upcycled creations at the upcoming winter markets, and we share her excitement. All proceeds from the event will go towards the TAFE runway show at the end of the year.
Follow @secondlifemarkets for upcoming market information. You can also track the students’ project progress by following @nmtfashionandtextiles.
