A clothing sale that started nearly 60 years ago in a Claremont garage returns to the Showground this weekend to continue promoting pre-loved fashion.
Held on Sunday, May 15, the Binding Clothing Sale is a one-day event where fashion enthusiasts can purchase pre-loved, reused, recycled, or upcycled clothing.
To promote the beauty of upcycled products, eight fashion graduate students from Bentley’s South Metropolitan TAFE will display their creations made from at least 80 percent discarded garments.
With the challenge of being creative with ‘disposable’ fashion, where clothes are considered disposable after only a few wears, Applied Fashion Design students selected discarded garments and fabrics and repurposed the theme ‘mapping’.
Camera IconFashion Diploma student Catherine Pullellia with her piece A Culture Embraced. Ross Swanborough Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian
Fashion student Catherine Pullella (17) lives in City Beach and was inspired by her family’s migration from Sicily to Australia for her garment ‘A Culture Embraced’.
She said that growing up, her family had always been “the most important thing” in her life.
“I remember last year my Italian teacher Enza said to me, ‘Catherine, you are who you are because of your Italian culture,'” Ms. Pullella said.
“So in my garment, I used recycled beads and thread to help create the prickly pear, which is synonymous with Sicily, and Trinacria, the face on the Sicilian flag that symbolizes the fertility and prosperity of the region and which is on display on the top.
“To follow the mapping theme, I used real maps for the sleeves from the old 1969 Claremont Teachers College, which I embroidered swirls on.”
Camera IconFashion Diploma student Gigi Raphael with her piece Shipwreck. Ross Swanborough Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian
Inspired by the ‘beauty’ of sailing ships of the 1600s, Fashion Diploma student Gigi Raphael used various techniques and upcycled items for her ‘Shipwrecked’ garment.
“I’ve always been interested in what had happened to these ships that didn’t reach their destination and how nature would have run its course if they were shipwrecked,” said Ms. Raphael.
“The sleeves represent the sails of these ships, on which I’ve hand-dyed coffee, and for the wrap skirt, I’ve used pillow stuffing glued into balls to describe coral or some other element of the sea.
“I wanted the garment to look lyrical, and something that you could touch up close and see that it’s beautiful, but also a rotating object.
“I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished with it, and it was worth smelling like coffee for days.”
Camera IconFashion Diploma students Zoe Walker with her piece Cyclone Washup. Ross Swanborough Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian
With all proceeds going to the Australian Red Cross, the Bindaring Clothing Sale has raised more than $2.4 million, helping the charity fund community services in Western Australia.
The event ensures that the eight tons of donations received each year are not in landfills.
Ms. Pullella and Ms. Raphael shared the importance of the Bindaring Clothing Sale and agreed that the event encouraged people to invest in recycled clothing.
“We live in such a fast-paced society, and it’s only getting faster; this is about encouraging people to opt for on-shop and vintage fashion options rather than going the fast route,” Ms. Raphael said.
“Like our pieces for Bindaring, on-shop clothing has such a unique story; it’s special to look at an item and think, ‘where did this come from? Who wore this for me?’.”
Ms. Pullella added: “Bindaring aims to encourage originality and creativity in upcycled clothing. I hope our clothing can inspire and show people that they don’t have to buy ‘fast fashion’ items. to buy.”
Camera IconFashion Diploma, student Marie-Claire Foley, was inspired for her garment, Fractured Earth, by the mapped contours of the Earth and a landscape painting by artist Maria Kemp. Ross Swanborough Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian
Fashion Diploma students Marie Claire Foley and Zoe Walker will also display their clothes at the event.
While Ms. Foley’s work “Fractured Earth” is inspired by the mapped contours of the Earth, using ribbed piping through the fabric to symbolize earthquake-like fractures, Ms. Walker’s garment, “Cyclone Wash Up” features a frayed fishing line and embroidered thread to illustrate synoptic charts representing weather fronts moving across the land.
The Bindaring Clothing Sale will be held at the Robinson Pavilion on the Claremont Showground from 9 am to 3 pm.
