How Australian Ethical Brands are Fashioning Social Change

Yarrenyty Arltere Artists at opening runway of Melbourne Fashion Week in Oct '24. Photo by Francesco

Dr Francesco Mazzarella with international fashion academics on a tour by Ethical Clothing Australia

Dr Francesco Mazzarella and RMIT University staff visiting Purpose Precinct, Melbourne.

Fitrzoy neighbourhood in Melbourne. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

In my journey on Country, I embark on an ethical fashion walk. From the remnants of a decimated local textile industry, I attend Aboriginal Australian fashion shows – 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 Australian-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:  

The voice needs to come from First Nations people, but we can support. We can all be allies.  

First Nations models in Clothing the Gaps at Melbourne Fashion Week, Oct '24. By Melissa Cowan.

Clothing the Gaps store. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

Detail of Clothing the Gaps printed clothing. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella

Embroidered detail on silk dress by Clothing the Gaps. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

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 Aboriginal 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:  

The sustainability challenges we face are similar to many fashion brands. Our aim is to be an excellent, sustainable business. What we do as a business has an impact on Country. First Nations people contribute the least to climate change but are affected the most by climate injustices. [...] What you choose to wear every day makes a difference. As an individual, you can support First Nations people and campaigns through purchasing from First Nations businesses and wear garments that tell a story and make a difference. 

Outside of the HoMie store in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

Inside the HoMie store in Melbourne. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

HoMie mission statement. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

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:  

People feel more confident by the end of the programme, and this can be life-changing. The young people are committed to the programme, show resilience and willingness to change the direction of their lives. [...] If I can do it, anyone can. We can come together to create opportunities for people who need them. [...] There are lots of people who think it’s too hard, but you gotta start from somewhere, and create change along the way. Be authentic, true to your values, do some cool things.  

Dewi Cooke and interpreter at The Social Studio. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

Embroidered artwork made by a refugee participating in a training course at The Social Studio.

Dewi Cooke at The Social Studio. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

Artwork created by a refugee participating in a course at The Social Studio.

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:  

Some cultures are not included in dominant narratives. It is not that some cultural practices don’t exist, but we just don’t see them. [...] There are so many unseen and undiscovered talents in this place. One of the most powerful things one can do is to spend time caring for and understanding a life that’s different to ours. [...] The project encourages a genuine expression of the participants, and their diverse cultural backgrounds. [...] We have an idea for a brand influenced by Afghan culture, but contemporary in style. This hybridity allows them to represent a traditional part of their cultural background, but also a new part of their lives. [...] Culture is in me, today and yesterday, and in the future me.  

The Social Outfit store in Sydney. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

Faces of Refugee print by The Social Outfit. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

The Social Outfit store in Sydney. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella.

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:  

We need a new generation of people who can create change through education. [...] We want to show that another type of fashion is possible. The Social Studio really changes people’s lives, as the women inspire their children to work, gain a sense of belonging, and build self-confidence. 

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.