A three day festival including a mass clothing swap and fashion parade will be held in Sydney this week to enable consumers and designers to learn about how to make fashion more ethical.
The event – Exchange for Change – will be held from this Thursday to Saturday and is hosted by international aid agency Oxfam Australia and Sydney’s newest centre for contemporary arts and culture CarriageWorks.
As well as a mass clothing swap, the line-up of events includes a fashion parade by young designers who have taken steps toward producing ethically-made clothing, and panel discussions about the importance of fair working conditions and environmental sustainability within the fashion industry.
Among the speakers is Oxfam Australia’s Labour Rights Advocacy Coordinator Daisy Gardener who will discuss the challenges clothing workers face both overseas and in Australia.
“People are shocked to learn that some clothing workers in Australia, the majority of whom are women, are often paid as little as $3 an hour,” Ms Gardener said.
“Clothing manufacturers and fashion designers can often be unaware that there are workers in their supply chain who are underpaid and don’t know the steps they can take to make their manufacturing more ethical,”
“Exchange for Change will explore how actions we take can make a difference to poor people at home and around the world.”
Among the designers involved is The Social Studio, one of the few brands in Australia to have received full accreditation through Ethical Clothing Australia, an organisation that assists the textile, clothing and footwear industries to ensure Australian workers receive fair wages and decent conditions.
CEO of The Social Studio, Grace McQuilten, said that as well as paying all of their workers award rates of pay, the brand also had other social aims.
“Our brand was born from two social problems we are passionate about fixing – the enormous amount of excess and waste in the fashion industry, and the major barriers young refugees face in accessing education and employment,” Ms McQuilten said.
“We’ve designed a range using recycled end-of-rolls, faulty garments and off-cuts produced by the refugee community, and are looking forward to showcasing it at Exchange for Change.”
Based on the idea that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, the festival also includes a mass clothing exchange where people can swap up to 20 items that they no longer want or wear to reinvigorate their wardrobe.
Oxfam Australia has been engaging with corporations including Nike for the rights of workers in the fashion industry for more than 15 years and Exchange for Change aims to encourage young people to think about labour rights and environmental sustainability.
Exchange for Change will take place from July 29 – 31 at CarriageWorks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh, Sydney. Those not in Sydney can learn how to host their own private event and about Oxfam’s labour rights work by downloading an event DIY kit at exchangeforchange.my3things.org.
The full program of events is listed overleaf and more information is available at exchangeforchange.my3things.org
Images and interviews are available, for these and more information contact Oxfam Australia Media Coordinator Sunita Bose on 0407 555 960.
STORIES: RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
6.30 – 8.30pm, Thursday 29 July, Bay 20, CarriageWorks, Sydney
Through an intimate panel discussion, hear from labour rights experts and academics as well as designers and manufacturers about how they have taken up the challenge of increasing ethical standards of fashion production. The discussion will be followed by entertainment provided by 2ser.
Speakers include:
Daisy Gardener, Labour Rights Advocacy Coordinator, Oxfam Australia
Emer Diviney, National Coordinator, Ethical Clothing Australia
Kelley Sheenan, Founder and Editor of Peppermint Magazine
Matthew Paroz, Director of the blog How Big Is Your Eco
Marty Dillon, Founder and Director of fashion label 3FISH
Sue Thomas, Lecturer in Fashion, School of Architecture and Design, RMIT
Amity Lynch, FairWear NSW Campaign Co-ordinator with outworker Lien Ho
WALK AND TALK: DESIGNER SHOWCASE
Session 1: 6.30 – 8pm or Session 2: 8.30 – 10pm, Friday 30 July, Bay 20, CarriageWorks, Sydney
RSVP essential to exchangeforchange@oxfam.org.au
Watch young, motivated Australian designers showcase the steps they have taken to produce fairer and more sustainable garments. Designers will present up to six pieces and will talk about their commitment to leading the fashion industry into a more ethical era.
Featured designers include:
The Social Studio
3Fish
Kindling
East of Grey
Hideyo Designs
Redbox7
ETHICS ON TOAST
8.30 – 10.30am, Saturday 31 July, Foyer, CarriageWorks, Sydney
Take a seat in the CarriageWorks foyer at breakfast time to hear conversation around some of the more controversial and intriguing facets of the fashion industry.
Speakers include:
Emer Diviney, National Coordinator, Ethical Clothing Australia
Jen Djula, Founder and Director of Blue Caravan
Sue Thomas, Lecturer in Fashion, School of Architecture and Design, RMIT
Amity Lynch, FairWear NSW Campaign Co-ordinator with outworker Lien Ho
Grace McQuilten, Founder and Director of The Social Studio
RETHREADS: FREE MASS CLOTHING EXCHANGE
12 – 6pm, Saturday 31 July, CarriageWorks, Sydney
Bring up to 20 clothing items that you no longer want or wear, and exchange them for new pieces to reinvigorate your wardrobe. Last year Rethreads attracted thousands, so check your clothes in the week before for early-bird entry at 11am, and visit exchangeforchange.my3things.org for guidelines on what you can bring.
SEMINAR: BEHIND THE SEEMS WITH OXFAM’S LABOUR RIGHTS UNIT
7 – 8.30pm, Saturday 31 July, Bay 17, CarriageWorks, Sydney
Oxfam Australia has been engaging with corporations including Nike for the rights of workers in the fashion industry for more than 15 years. Hear from Oxfam staff about the progress that has been made and the work that remains to ensure workers producing the fashion we love have their rights respected.
Speaker: Daisy Gardener, Labour Rights Advocacy Coordinator, Oxfam Australia.
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