Latest news with #ReverseGarbage
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
From creative couture to dopamine dressing: Australia's growing upcycling movement
For 50 years, the aisles of Reverse Garbage, a creative re-use centre in Sydney's inner west, have bustled with all manner of discarded oddities including Barbies, vintage film reels, bubble wrap and zippers. The centre is a haven for artists, crafters and magpies who see treasure where others see trash. Fashion designer Nathaniel Youkhana is one such creative who wanders the aisles. Youkhana was inspired by another Sydney designer – friend and collaborator Jordan Gogos – to start using unconventional materials in his work. His intricately crafted pieces, which embody an inclusive, all-sizes approach to design, are typically marked by his signature braiding, often woven from materials found at Reverse Garbage. 'Creatively, sometimes you find yourself getting stuck into an aesthetic or being pigeonholed. I just wanted to take my mind out of only being a 'one-trick pony' designer,' he says. 'It really tests your mindset of what you can and can't do. And I love that aspect of taking some [waste] material and trying to make something really beautiful, but also wearable.' Upcycling – re-using material that would otherwise go to waste to create something of higher value – is a growing global movement. On social media, many users – often Gen Z and Millennials – share upcycling projects or 'thrift flips', as they are sometimes referred to. Professor Alice Payne, Dean of RMIT's School of Fashion and Textiles, says she's seen 'enormous growth in upcycling practice over the past 20 years... to the point [where] upcycling is another method of fashion production'. But she says the motivation behind upcycling has evolved over time. In the 1970s punk movement, it was a means of rejecting mass-market consumerism and making a statement, while in the 1990s, designers such as Martin Margiela used upcycling to evoke memory and emotion. '[But] increasingly what we're seeing in the 2000s and particularly the last decade, is that upcycling is actually much more linked to environmental concerns,' she says.
The Age
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
From creative couture to dopamine dressing: Australia's growing upcycling movement
For 50 years, the aisles of Reverse Garbage, a creative re-use centre in Sydney's inner west, have bustled with all manner of discarded oddities including Barbies, vintage film reels, bubble wrap and zippers. The centre is a haven for artists, crafters and magpies who see treasure where others see trash. Fashion designer Nathaniel Youkhana is one such creative who wanders the aisles. Youkhana was inspired by another Sydney designer – friend and collaborator Jordan Gogos – to start using unconventional materials in his work. His intricately crafted pieces, which embody an inclusive, all-sizes approach to design, are typically marked by his signature braiding, often woven from materials found at Reverse Garbage. 'Creatively, sometimes you find yourself getting stuck into an aesthetic or being pigeonholed. I just wanted to take my mind out of only being a 'one-trick pony' designer,' he says. 'It really tests your mindset of what you can and can't do. And I love that aspect of taking some [waste] material and trying to make something really beautiful, but also wearable.' Upcycling – re-using material that would otherwise go to waste to create something of higher value – is a growing global movement. On social media, many users – often Gen Z and Millennials – share upcycling projects or 'thrift flips', as they are sometimes referred to. Professor Alice Payne, Dean of RMIT's School of Fashion and Textiles, says she's seen 'enormous growth in upcycling practice over the past 20 years... to the point [where] upcycling is another method of fashion production'. But she says the motivation behind upcycling has evolved over time. In the 1970s punk movement, it was a means of rejecting mass-market consumerism and making a statement, while in the 1990s, designers such as Martin Margiela used upcycling to evoke memory and emotion. '[But] increasingly what we're seeing in the 2000s and particularly the last decade, is that upcycling is actually much more linked to environmental concerns,' she says.
