Dove Hospice & Wellness, in collaboration with the AUT Fashion Department and sponsorship from Regal Drycleaners, Drapers Fabrics and Cut Above Academy, is proud to present ‘Fashion Hacktivism’. This event is designed to showcase AUT’s ‘Fashion Hacktivism goes Big’ upcycling project which in collaboration with Dove focuses on giving new life to damaged second-hand clothing. This event will take place at the beautiful Kings Plant Barn café and will feature a fashion show from the AUT student upcycling project, an interactive styling workshop by Jess Raffills from The Finders Life, a boutique preloved clothing sale, raffle door prizes, refreshments, and nibbles.
‘Fashion Hacktivism’ aims to inspire attendees to choose second-hand clothing over new, to consider upcycling and customising their clothing before it is deemed waste, while also giving support to local charity Dove Hospice & Wellness. “I believe consuming consciously doesn’t need to compromise how you express yourself aesthetically and does not have to cost the earth. I love working with people to help them discover how to shop for their shape, lifestyle, and budgets more successfully all with a sustainable spin!”, says Jess from The Finders Life.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the AUT Fashion Department for this upcycling challenge” says Dove Hospice & Wellness Marketing, E-Comm and Communications Manager Amy Conlon. “This upcycling project with AUT gives an opportunity to inspire creativity and to encourage students to embrace a more circular design model. We are really looking forward to seeing what the students create.”
“As well as being good for the planet, and your pocket, second-hand shopping in many cases supports local charities supporting your local community. In our case our attendees will be supporting people for whom a cure or remission is expected with our ‘return to wellness’ programmes, and also patients whose illness is no longer curable, “says Amy.
“AUT Year 2 Fashion Design students are excited to be partnering with Dove Hospice & Wellness for this project that looks at creating unique, design-led fashion from pre-loved apparel. At AUT we see the upcycling of good quality re-usable textiles as a perfect response to the overconsumption of fast fashion products, so much of which ends up in landfill. Our creative responses give a distinct nod to the former life of the up-cycled clothing, making the final result not only a unique fashion piece, but also a conversation starter about clothing consumption and sustainability,” Lisa McEwan, Senior Lecturer at AUT across Fashion Design & Design for Sustainability.
Tickets for ‘Fashion Hacktivism’ are available for purchase through Humanitix, and we encourage anyone intrigued to learn more about where to start and how to start second-hand shopping to snap up a ticket, or two, today!
All proceeds will go to supporting Dove Hospice & Wellness who provide care that enhances holistic well-being from diagnosis of a life-threatening illness.
