Social

In my journey on Country, I embark on an ethical fashion walk. From the remnants of a decimated local textile industry, I attend fashion shows of First Nations people and brands – I bump into community pop-up runways. In a precinct with a purpose, I discover social enterprises – repair services – cool artists’ studios – and certification systems protecting human rights in fashion manufacturing.  

Inspired by the Closing the Gap scheme, the Clothing the Gaps brand is conceived. It is Aboriginal-led – engaged in cultural reflexivity – building artists’ collaborations – honouring lived experiences – educating manufacturers to design out waste. Here, fashion activism creates political statements – with embroidered ‘Yes’ to justice – and dresses raising awareness of rising ocean levels. It is a brand committed to making a difference – within what Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land! 

I visit HoMie – a streetwear brand for and by homeless youth – grounded in upcycling and circularity – challenging stigma – committed to breaking the cycle of hardship, through education and employment. It’s an invite to be true to your values. An encouragement that if I can do it, anyone can too.  

In the other side of the world, I meet The Social Studio – fighting for the same social cause as me. Creating a safe space for refugees to connect – using fashion and textiles to express multiple cultures and hybrid identities. Enhancing self-confidence and pride – giving access to training –employment opportunities – credit and compensation – highlighting unseen talents.  

At The Social Outfit in Sydney (Gadigal) – fabric donations are turned into beautiful fashion – printed with stories – faces of refugees – demonstrating that another side of fashion is possible. Through manufacturing and progression pathways, it is an invite to buy less – to buy something that makes a difference – to ask questions – to wear your values! 

I wrote this piece of creative writing on my way back to London from my fieldwork in Australia as a Visiting Researcher at RMIT University, thanks to funding from London College of Fashion (LCF) and support from the University of the Arts London (UAL) International Partnerships team. The words still resonate and connect me to that experience, whilst inspiring me as I lead the new unit ‘Fashion Practices for Social Change’ at London College of Fashion (LCF). still vividly remember when I first arrived in Melbourne (Naarm), and Associate Professor Yoko Akama invited me to visit Purpose Precinct at Queen Victoria Market with students and colleagues from RMIT. I was struck by this place, the first social enterprise marketplace in Australia — a space offering job opportunities, supporting First Nations peoples, hosting workshops, and engaging local people in hands-on conversations around sustainable production. They adopt circular economy practices, turning food waste into products and upcycling packaging into commercial items. Purpose Precinct sells local products that create social, cultural and environmental value, a meaningful contrast to the now-banned souvenirs made in China. As Rebecca Scott, CEO of Purpose Precinct, said:  

Thanks to Dr Jon Hewitt, I connected with several fashion social enterprises in Melbourne (Naarm). I visited Clothing the Gaps (an Aboriginal-led brand aimed at celebrating First Nations peoples and culture) and met with Sarah Sheridan (Co-Founder and Deputy CEO). The brand develops fashion activist pieces as political statements and conversation starters, while offering employment to Aboriginal peoples, and creating economic, social, and cultural value. Sarah showed me some of the clothes that were showcased at Melbourne Fashion Week in October 2024. One of the dresses had painted in it the message, ‘Oceans are rising, so we are’, highlighting how climate change is affecting Torres Strait Islander Communities way of life, connection to country and culture. A silk dress had words taken from the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum printed on it, alongside the embroidered word ‘Yes’, an invitation to walk with First Nations leaders in support of social justice. The brand aims to centre First Nations people, stories and campaigns in all that it undertakes and encourages others to decolonise their wardrobes and ways of thinking in the process. Sarah highlighted the need for researchers like me to collaborate with First Nations peoples as project leads or co-authors, prioritising their voices and lived experiences, bringing a different lens, and centering people and the planet in every decision. Sarah stated:  

Wandering around Fitzroy, Melbourne (Naarm), I also met with Marcus Crook, Co-Founder and Creative Director of HoMie, a streetwear label and social enterprise, whose profits contribute to supporting young people affected by homelessness. Since it was set up in 2015, HoMie has supported over 3,660 people, through education and employment programmes. Marcus expressed his interest in collaborating with researchers for data monitoring and evaluation, and with designers to create beautiful clothing that people want to wear and emotionally connect with. HoMie’s ambition is to expand their programmes to help more people and open more retail shops. It was powerful hearing Marcus say:  

A highlight of my fieldwork in Melbourne (Naarm) was the discovery of The Social Studio, a social enterprise providing accredited fashion design training to refugee women and employment opportunities in a manufacturing unit and retail shop. When I visited Dewi Cooke (Chief Executive Officer at The Social Studio), a group of Afghan refugee women were preparing an exhibition of the artefacts they created in the studio in Collingwood. We were all struck by the similarities with the ‘textile autobiographies’ and textile banners created by the participants in the ‘Decolonising Fashion and Textiles’ project I lead in London, on the other side of the world, but with the same ethos to celebrate the invaluable craft skills, resilience and stories of cultural sustainability of refugees. The Social Studio is more than a training centre – it’s a safe and inclusive space – a space for healing, for making social connections, and learning technical and soft skills, whilst accessing economic opportunities, and having a voice and presence in the public space. The Social Studio provides counselling services and travel reimbursement to remove barriers to participation. Dewi discussed the need for having multiple funding schemes, given that sustaining such initiatives merely through selling products is not viable. Dewi argued:  

I concluded my fieldwork with a short trip to Sydney (Gadigal), and thanks to a kind introduction by Professor Grace McQuilten, I was able to meet Camilla Schippa and visit The Social Outfit. This social enterprise supports women refugees to kickstart their careers in Australia, tackling a crucial need since only 20% of refugees in Australia are employed. The Social Outfit offers a retail training programme, supporting women in making local, ethical and sustainable clothing, and providing access to employment opportunities. Since it was founded in 2010, The Social Outfit has trained 60 women, provided jobs for 116 refugees, and diverted 20 tons of fabrics from landfill. In their manufacturing unit, the women upcycle donated fabrics into beautiful contemporary garments, which are often customised with prints that tell a story, and are paid per hour (not per piece, as is common in the fashion sector). Camilla shared with me their willingness to collaborate with designers and to amplify the impact of their work. She stated:  

These words – and all the learnings from the fashion social entrepreneurs I met in my research trip in Australia – still resonate with me, as I continue to teach on the ‘Fashion Practices for Social Change’ unit at LCF, in my mission to train the next generation of designers, communicators, and entrepreneurs. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this new cohort of change-makers, shaping a new fashion paradigm, and contributing to more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and sustainable futures, through their collaborative creative practice.