On Wednesday night, amid a flurry of sequins and satin, I volunteered with Thread Together at The Learning Bank in Melbourne.
Wielding my boundless passion for style, community welfare and reducing fashion’s footprint, I ran a style session alongside Kate East, for a group of Year 12 students in need of the perfect graduation and formal outfits – a gift made possible by Thread Together and Yarra City Council. Like a dazzling pair of lucite Cinderella heels, the transformative effect was immediate – clearly our clients felt valued, seen and ready for good times – and perhaps most importantly – they could imagine the possibility of a life filled with potential.
Thread Together started as an ethical response to fashion excess, collecting end-of-line, brand new stock from fashion retailers around Australia, diverting them from landfill. With the support of volunteers, clothes are sorted and distributed to people in need, via a national network of established charities and social service agencies.
With one-third of new clothing going from factory to landfill, and one in eight adults and one in six children lacking access to adequate clothing and essentials, Thread Together intercepts new garments from going to landfill and dresses people in need.
After years of working in the, at times, ‘frivolous’ world of fashion, it’s been a personal pursuit of mine to find more meaning to everyone’s sense of style – the power of a brand new fit – and to share how a good sartorial foundation can positively impact our daily lives. When you find a shared commitment for compassion and sustainability like I have with Thread Together, it can be a potent force for good.
About Thread Together
- Fashion Partners
- Charity Partners
- Join Thread Together’s national Formal Drive. The cost of living in Australia is putting increased pressure on families, and not every year 12 school student is in a position to celebrate finishing school. Thread Together is prepping to work with a number of schools to ensure the students whose families are experiencing hardship can attend their school formal and celebrate with confidence and style.
About The Learning Bank, Yarra City Council
The Garb Wire 